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Synonyms

mending

American  
[men-ding] / ˈmɛn dɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of a person or thing that mends.

  2. articles, especially clothes, to be mended.

    Grandmother always kept her mending in this wicker basket.
mending British  
/ ˈmɛndɪŋ /

noun

  1. 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

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

One of America’s most widely-read poets remains Robert Frost, whose poems — “The Road Not Taken,” “The Mending Wall” — were connected to the woods and fields around his home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2018

Mending his relationship with Largent took longer, in part because they didn’t see each other,

From Seattle Times • Oct. 13, 2017

“Free Mending and Buttons,” said the lettering on the window.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

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.