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View synonyms for

mend

[mend]

verb (used with object)

  1. to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing.

    to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy.

    Synonyms: , ,
    Antonyms: ,
  2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.

    Synonyms: , ,
  3. to set right; make better; improve.

    to mend matters.

    Synonyms:


verb (used without object)

  1. to progress toward recovery, as a sick person.

    Synonyms: , ,
    Antonyms: ,
  2. (of broken bones) to grow back together; knit.

  3. to improve, as conditions or affairs.

noun

  1. the act of mending; repair or improvement.

  2. a mended place.

mend

/ ɛԻ /

verb

  1. (tr) to repair (something broken or unserviceable)

  2. to improve or undergo improvement; reform (often in the phrase mend one's ways )

  3. (intr) to heal or recover

  4. (intr) (of conditions) to improve; become better

  5. (tr) to feed or stir (a fire)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of repairing

  2. a mended area, esp on a garment

  3. becoming better, esp in health

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • mendable adjective
  • remend verb
  • unmendable adjective
  • unmended adjective
  • well-mended adjective
  • ˈԻ岹 adjective
  • ˈԻ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mend1

1150–1200; Middle English menden, aphetic variant of amend
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mend1

C12: shortened from amend
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. mend sail, to refurl sails that have been badly furled. Also mend the furl

  2. on the mend,

    1. recovering from an illness.

    2. improving in general, as a state of affairs.

      The breach between father and son is on the mend.

In addition to the idioms beginning with mend, also see on the mend.
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Synonym Study

Mend, darn, patch mean to repair something and thus renew its usefulness. Mend is a general expression that emphasizes the idea of making whole something damaged: to mend a broken dish, a tear in an apron. Darn and patch are more specific, referring particularly to repairing holes or tears. To darn is to repair by means of stitches interwoven with one another: to darn stockings. To patch is to cover a hole or tear, usually with a piece or pieces of similar material and to secure the edges of these; it implies a more temporary or makeshift repair than the others: to patch the knees of trousers, a rubber tire.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

His post comes after Trump declared that their relationship was over, and that he had no interest in mending ties with Musk.

From

Supervised by British soldiers, the agents were kept occupied with a range of tasks including mending boots and salvaging scrap metal from the surrounding countryside.

From

He replied "No" when asked if he wished to mend the damaged ties.

From

But he may need some of them to work with him to rebuild public trust and mend a fractured country.

From

In recent months, Lee has tried to smooth the rougher edges of his public persona, vowing to mend the country’s increasingly combustible partisan rifts.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Mencken, H. L.mendacious