What does stint mean?
Word: Stint
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Stint means a fixed period of time spent doing a particular job or activity. As a verb, to stint on something is to use or give too little of it.
Synonyms: spell, term, period, stretch
Word origin: From Old English styntan, 'to blunt or dull'; the sense of a fixed share of work came later.
How do you spell stint?
Syllables: stint
Tricky part: The vowel is a short i, as in tin; do not write stent, which is a different word.
Watch out for: stynt, stinnt
Memory tip: A stint is a spell of time IN a job: the i of in is its vowel.
Stint in a sentence
Example 1: After a two-year stint in Sydney, Dad's company moved him to Singapore.
Example 2: Her stint as class monitor taught her a lot about patience.
Example 3: He did a short stint as a volunteer at the animal shelter during the holidays.
Fun Fact
Stint is also the name of a group of small wading birds; the little stint breeds in the Arctic and spends the winter in Africa and South Asia, including India.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
My cousin's stinte as a volunteer at the wildlife centre ended last week.
a) 1
b) 0
c) 2
d) 3
Show answer
a) 1. Only stinte is wrong: the word stops on its t, with nothing after it.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. stint 2. stunt 3. tint a. a daring act done to impress b. a slight shade of colour c. a spell spent working at one post
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. A stunt man performs daring acts, a tint is a light shade, and a stint is time spent in a job.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Before joining our school, Mr Rao did a three-year ___ as a cricket coach in Delhi.
a) stilt
b) stint
c) stain
d) strut
Show answer
b) stint. A strut is a proud walk and a stain is a mark; a period spent in a job is a stint.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) extint
b) stint
c) instinct
d) distinct
Show answer
a) extint. Extinct needs a c before its final t, as instinct and distinct have.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which is the best example of a stint?
a) one quick glance at a clock
b) a sneeze during the assembly
c) a single shout across the room
d) two summers working at a hill resort
Show answer
d) two summers working at a hill resort
2. In 'Do not stint on fresh fruit', stint means ___.
a) grow your own
b) eat too quickly
c) use too little of
d) pay too much for
Show answer
c) use too little of
