darn

¹ American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

adjective

1. darned.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

Related Words

See mend.

Other Word Forms

• darner noun
• darning noun

Etymology

Origin of darn¹

First recorded in 1775–85; darned

Origin of darn²

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin unknown

Example Sentences

I just knew that I would go to Tokyo and do my darn best to play the scenes, and whatever it was that this guy did is what you get.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s simply the best available, and in my view pretty darn good.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s hard to convey just how wondrous and revolutionary and comforting it felt to attend Lilith Fair in the late 1990s to people who weren’t there, but this documentary comes pretty darn close.

From Los Angeles Times

“I move on pretty darn quickly,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

In the AI era, where it is harder than ever to tell a winner from a fugazi, sunlight every quarter is pretty darn essential.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dang
• doggone