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: retouch, restore, fix
   Antonyms: destroy, ruin

2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.

   Synonyms: emend, amend, rectify

3. to set right; make better; improve.

   to mend matters.

   Synonyms: ameliorate

verb (used without object)

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

   Synonyms: amend, recover, heal
   Antonyms: sicken, die

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

/ mɛnd /

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)

noun

1. the act of repairing

2. a mended area, esp on a garment

3. becoming better, esp in health

Other Word Forms

• mendable adjective
• remend verb
• unmendable adjective
• unmended adjective
• well-mended adjective
• mender noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mend¹

1150–1200; Middle English menden, aphetic variant of amend

Word History and Origins

Origin of mend¹

C12: shortened from _amend

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.

More idioms and phrases containing mend

• on the mend

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.

Example Sentences

Hamstring on the mend, Knight and her guitar have made it to the World Cup.

Read more on BBC

And Saudi Arabia makes no secret about broadening its sports holdings, investing billions through its Public Investment Fund in an attempt to expand its oil-based economy and mend its international image.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This isn’t the first time Muniz has found himself on the mend.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A fender bender that would be a simple fix on a traditional vehicle could require an expensive and lengthy repair on an EV to mend the battery and recalibrate the car and its sensors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Irwin wrote that after "13 years of fighting for answers" and two surgeries where she had 51 lesions, a cyst and her appendix removed, she was finally on the mend.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• ameliorate 
• cure 
• heal 
• rebuild 
• reconstruct 
• rectify 
• redress 
• rejuvenate 
• renew 
• repair 
• restore 
• revamp 
• sew