indentation

IPA/ˌɪndenˈteɪʃn/
KK[ˌɪndˌɛntˈeʃən]IPA/ˌɪndenˈteɪʃn/

indentation — 名詞

  • indentationsingular
  • indentationsplural

1. a small cut, dent, or inward curve on a surface, usually caused by pressure or i

1.名詞B2
釋義

凹痕；缺口

物體表面的凹陷或刻痕

a small cut, dent, or inward curve on a surface, usually caused by pressure or impact

例句

Alessia noticed a small indentation on the car door where a shopping trolley had hit it.

Alessia 注意到車門上有一處小凹痕，是被購物推車撞到的。

collocation: small indentation / deep indentation

The old wooden table had deep indentations from years of use.

那張舊木桌因長年使用留下了深深的凹痕。

同義詞
  • dent

    more specific to damage from a blow or collision; implies forceful impact

  • notch

    a V-shaped cut, usually deliberate and on an edge rather than a surface

  • recess

    a larger, deeper hollow area; more formal and architectural

反義詞
  • bump

    a raised area rather than an inward one

用法筆記

Countable when referring to a single mark or hole (e.g., three indentations in the metal). Uncountable when describing the general state of being marked (e.g., the surface shows indentation from wear).

常見錯誤

❌He felt an indentation on the wall where a picture fell
✅He felt a dent in the wall where a picture fell.
💡A dent is specifically caused by a blow; indentation can be gentler or more gradual.
❌The paper had indentations from the pencil writing.
✅The paper had indentations from the heavy pressure of the pen.
💡The word describes a physical mark, not the content of writing itself.

2. a blank space that pushes the first line of a paragraph inward from the page mar

2.名詞B2
釋義

縮排；縮格

文字段落行首的留空位置

a blank space that pushes the first line of a paragraph inward from the page margin, or the formatting practice of creating such a space

例句

Each paragraph should begin with a one-centimetre indentation from the left margin.

每個段落都應該從左邊界起縮排一公分。

indentation + from + [measurement]

Sana added an indentation at the start of every new paragraph in her essay.

Sana 在論文中每個新段落的開頭都加了縮排。

add an indentation at the start of [line/paragraph]

同義詞
  • indent

    shorter form, especially common in computing and typesetting contexts

  • tab

    refers to the tab-stop function used to create indentation; more informal in writing contexts

用法筆記

In word-processing software, indentation usually refers to the distance from the page margin. Countable when specifying a particular amount (e.g., a 2-cm indentation). Uncountable when referring to the formatting convention in general (e.g., Indentation is not used in business letters).

常見錯誤

❌I set the indentation on the first word of each line.
✅I set the indentation at the start of each paragraph.
💡Indentation marks the beginning of a paragraph, not every line.

3. the action of making an indentation, whether by pressing a surface inward or by

3.名詞B2
釋義

壓印；縮行

進行壓痕或縮排的過程

the action of making an indentation, whether by pressing a surface inward or by leaving a space at the start of a line of text

例句

The indentation of the metal sheet took several minutes under the workshop press.

在工廠壓床下壓印這片金屬板耗費了好幾分鐘。

indentation + of + [material] [physical process]

Proper indentation of computer code makes the program much easier to read.

電腦程式的縮排做得好的話，讀起來會輕鬆很多。

proper + indentation + of [domain-specific recommendation]

同義詞
  • impressing

    used for physical pressing into a surface; more formal and technical

  • formatting

    broader term that includes indentation but also covers other layout choices

用法筆記

Always uncountable when referring to the action or process. Distinguish from the count sense (sense 1: a physical mark) and the typographic result sense (sense 2: the space itself). Sense 3 focuses on the act of creating those results.

常見錯誤

❌The indentation of the paragraphs are important.
✅The indentation of the paragraphs is important.
💡As an uncountable process noun, indentation takes singular verb agreement.