darn

¹ American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

adjective

1. darned.

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verb (used with object)

1. to curse; damn.

   Darn that pesky fly!

idioms

1. give a darn. damn.

darn ² American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to mend (torn clothing, especially of knitted fabric) with rows of stitches, sometimes by crossing and interweaving rows to span a gap.

   At the sound of my greeting, Grandma looked up and stopped darning the sock, holding her arms out for a hug.

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noun

1. a darned place, as in a garment.

   That old sweater full of darns was one of my favorite things to put on after work.

darn ¹ British  

/ dɑːn /

verb

1. to mend (a hole or a garment) with a series of crossing or interwoven stitches

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noun

1. a patch of darned work on a garment

2. the process or act of darning

darn ² British  

/ dɑːn /

interjection

1. a euphemistic word for damn damn damn damn damn

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Related Words

See mend.

Other Word Forms

• darner
  noun
• darning
  noun

Etymology

Origin of darn¹

First recorded in 1775–85; see origin at darned

Origin of darn²

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin unknown

Explanation

To darn is to stitch up a small hole in a piece of clothing. Instead of throwing your worn-out socks away, you can just darn the holes in their toes. When you darn your socks or sweaters, you use a needle and thread to close small holes in the woven fabric. There's even a specific stitch known as a "darning stitch," in which you first weave the thread with the grain of the fabric, and then fill in the other "woven" direction. The result is a sturdy patch made only of thread. Darn comes from the Middle French darner, "mend."

Example Sentences

Lanchester had been nominated before, in 1949's Come to the Stable, and after Laughton's death she continued to work steadily, including on a number of Disney films including Mary Poppins and That Darn Cat!.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

Together, they wrote dozens of songs for Disney TV productions and movies such as “The Parent Trap,” “The Absent-Minded Professor,” “Summer Magic,” “That Darn Cat!,”

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2024

Darn it if hockey dads don’t have an extra layer.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023

“It’s not always what’s on the win-loss record that indicates whether you’ve grown a little bit or not,” Rivera said, later adding, “Am I disappointed we didn’t get into playoffs? Darn right I am.”

From Washington Times • Jan. 10, 2023

“The water’s up to my ankles! Paddle! Paddle! Darn it, Lexie, paddle!”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• dang
• doggone