cabosser

to dent

verb kah-boh-SAY Rare

Also means

to batter

Usage Note

Cabosser means to make dents in a surface, typically metal — a car panel, a tin can, or a helmet. It is a concrete, physical verb with no common figurative extension. The past participle cabossé ('dented, battered') is frequently used as an adjective: une voiture cabossée.

Examples

"Il a cabossé le pare-chocs en reculant."

Natural Translation

He dented the bumper while reversing.

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