mending

American

[men-ding] / ˈmɛn dɪŋ /

noun

the act of a person or thing that mends.
articles, especially clothes, to be mended.

Grandmother always kept her mending in this wicker basket.

mending British

/ ˈmɛndɪŋ /

noun

something to be mended, esp clothes

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

mendings

plural

Etymology

Origin of mending

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at mend, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mending ties between Honduras and Taiwan would not mean an immediate snap back in trade volumes, said Yen, the seafood trader.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

Mending the shirt opened up a new world for him.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2024

Mending his reputation will be an arduous task.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2021

SoCal Connected “Assassin Bugs”; children with facial birthmarks and deformities receive a life-changing experience; hometown mission of Mending Kids.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2017

Mending, scavenging moss, patching the leak in the roof.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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