It's going to take more than a new law to 'make a dent in' the city's drug crime. [=a new law is not enough to decrease the city's drug crime]
We tried our best to fix the problem, but nothing we did seems to have 'made a dent'. [=nothing we did has had any effect]
a vacation that won't 'put' too big 'a dent in' your wallet [=a vacation that will not cost a lot of money]
(..) This thing could still blow. You all heard her. Let's go. You can load the explosives into the trunk as long as they're in good shape. No dents, no tears. They're not live. They still need to be triggered to be set off. Not that one. - I don't like the way it looks. - Okay. (..)2017 TvShow: The Walking Dead Title: Rock in the Road Season: 7 Episode 9