- present tense form of amend (3rd person singular).
amends
Americannoun
-
reparation or compensation for a loss, damage, or injury of any kind; recompense.
- Synonyms:
- restitution, redress
-
Obsolete. improvement; recovery, as of health.
idioms
noun
Etymology
Origin of amends
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English amendes, from Middle French, plural of amende “reparation,” noun derivative of amender “to repair, correct errors in, improve the condition of”; see amend
Explanation
So you blew the surprise party by mentioning it in passing to the birthday girl. Now, you have to do something to make amends, or reparations, to the boyfriend who worked all day to set up the party. When you make amends, you mend something you have damaged, like a deal, or relationship. Maybe, your cupcake shop was panned by a food critic in the paper, but he never went to your store, he went to that awful cupcake shop across the street. The critic should make amends by printing a retraction.
Vocabulary lists containing amends
The Kite Runner
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The One and Only Ivan
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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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.
Mr. Barnett blithely amends the statement for children’s fiction: “Maybe more like 94.7 percent of kids’ books are crud.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The “OG influencer” said that he attempted to make amends with some of the celebrities he targeted, including Britney Spears and Khloé Kardashian, whom he said were receptive to his apologies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Piroe made amends for the Premier League side by equalising with a backheel from a Sean Longstaff ball.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He’s uniquely responsible for ushering in an age of barbarism and will spend the rest of his life making amends in the fallen world he helped create.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Here w'as an opportunity to make amends for leaving home without telling anyone.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
