stint
stint Lexical Profile
stint Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A fixed or allotted period of work, duty, or time spent in a specific role or activity.
"After a two-year stint in the military, she returned to the university to complete her engineering degree."
An allotted limit or restriction placed on a quantity or share of something.
"The volunteers offered their time and energy without stint to ensure the festival was a success."
A small sandpiper or shorebird of the genus Calidris, typically found breeding in the Arctic tundra and migrating to southern coasts for the winter.
"The birdwatcher was thrilled to spot a rare little stint foraging along the muddy shoreline."
• verb
To supply an ungenerous or inadequate amount of something; to restrict or limit (often used negatively to mean providing generously).
"The wealthy hosts did not stint on the food, offering an extravagant buffet for all the wedding guests."
Word Nuance & Usage
The noun 'stint' (a period of time or work) is frequently confused in spelling with its near-homophone 'stent', which refers to a small medical tube inserted into a blocked passageway to keep it open.
• Rhymes for stint
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'styntan', meaning 'to make dull or blunt', related to 'stunt'. The meaning shifted in Middle English to 'stop, restrict, or limit'. The noun sense referring to an allotted task or period of work developed in the 15th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.