amend

[uh-mend]

See more synonyms for amend on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to alter, modify, rephrase, or add to or subtract from (a motion, bill, constitution, etc.) by formal procedure: Congress may amend the proposed tax bill.
to change for the better; improve: to amend one's ways.
to remove or correct faults in; rectify.

verb (used without object)

to grow or become better by reforming oneself: He amends day by day.

Origin of amend

1175–1225; Middle English amenden < Old French amender < Latin ēmendāre “to correct,” equivalent to ē- e-¹ + mend(a) “blemish” + -āre infinitive suffix

Related formsa·mend·a·ble, adjectivea·mend·er, nounnon·a·mend·a·ble, adjectivere·a·mend, verbun·a·mend·a·ble, adjectiveun·a·mend·ed, adjectiveun·a·mend·ing, adjectivewell-a·mend·ed, adjective

Synonym study

3. Amend, emend both mean to improve by correcting or by freeing from error. Amend is the general term, used of any such correction in detail: to amend spelling, punctuation, grammar. Emend usually applies to the correction of a text in the process of editing or preparing for publication; it implies improvement in the sense of greater accuracy: He emended the text of the play by restoring the original reading.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for amended

rectify, modify, lift, enhance, alter, revise, repair, right, help, reform, fix, better, elevate, remedy, square, mend, ameliorate, change, raise

Examples from the Web for amended

Contemporary Examples of amended

Editor's Note: This story had been amended to clarify Jeffrey Wright's Naval service.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen
M.L. Nestel
December 11, 2014
Perhaps this year, the old saying should be amended to: to share is better than to receive.
One of a Kind Gifts Are Only a Neighbor Away
Lawrence Ferber
December 8, 2014
Cook posted, amended, then deleted a sort-of apology over the controversy and refused all interviews.
The Secret World of Pickup Artist Julien Blanc
Brandy Zadrozny
December 1, 2014
An amended bill eventually passed that created a new board without all the power Mitchell and the Alliance had sought.
At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’
ProPublica
October 15, 2014
The contract has been amended 22 times in the past 14 years.
Megabanks Have The Federal Prison System Locked Up
Center for Public Integrity
October 2, 2014

Historical Examples of amended

"Not alone, if I can help it, Mr. Burnham," Duncan amended sweetly.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
"And that's a lie," Gene amended, with the frankness of a foster-brother.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
It has been amended to "at the Inn" to match the chapter heading.
The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
He is to be amended, but this is impossible with his mind in a state of hostility.
The Prison Chaplaincy, And Its Experiences
Hosea Quinby
The principle is bad, radically rotten, and cannot be amended.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)

British Dictionary definitions for amended

amend

verb (tr)

to improve; change for the better
to remove faults from; correct
to alter or revise (legislation, a constitution, etc) by formal procedure

Derived Formsamendable, adjectiveamender, noun

Word Origin for amend

C13: from Old French amender, from Latin ēmendāre to emend

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

Word Origin and History for amended

amend

early 13c., "to free from faults, rectify," from Old French amender (12c.), from Latin emendare "to correct, free from fault," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + menda "fault, blemish," from PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (cf. Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar "stain, blemish," Welsh mann "sign, mark").

Supplanted in senses of "repair, cure" by its shortened offspring mend (v.). Meaning "to add to legislation" (ostensibly to correct or improve it) is recorded from 1777. Related: Amended; amending.