darn

[dahrn]

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verb (used with object)

to mend, as torn clothing, with rows of stitches, sometimes by crossing and interweaving rows to span a gap.

noun

a darned place, as in a garment: an old sock full of darns.

Origin of darn

1590–1600; perhaps to be identified with Middle English dernen to keep secret, conceal, Old English (Anglian) dernan

Synonyms for darn

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1. See mend.

darn

[dahrn]Informal.

adjective, adverb

darned.

verb (used with object)

to curse; damn: Darn that pesky fly!

Idioms

give a darn. damn(def 14).

Origin of darn

First recorded in 1775–85; see origin at darned

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

Related Words for darn

doggone, dang, cripes, darnation, drat

Examples from the Web for darn

Contemporary Examples of darn

But, darn it, here was a game of courage, passion, and skill.
Up To a Point: Oops, I Enjoyed Soccer
P. J. O’Rourke
July 13, 2014
If elected, his first goal for immigration would be to “build that darn fence.”
The Banker Sneaking Up on the Republicans Running for Senate in Nebraska
Ben Jacobs
May 9, 2014
It is just still way too darn early for Kentuckians to care about an election just less than a year away.
Alison Grimes Will Have to Step It Up to Beat Mitch McConnell
Sam Youngman
November 30, 2013
For the dad, the film reinforced the notion that people need not really care a darn about most others.
87 Gun Deaths a Day: Why the Colorado Shooting is Tragically Unsurprising
James Warren
July 24, 2012
This commercial is darn creative—and raises some interesting questions about human flexibility.
16 Banned Super Bowl Ads
The Daily Beast Video
February 3, 2012

Historical Examples of darn

"Ah, don't you try to seem too darn' innocent," Roland snarled.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
Well,” said Richards, with a mouthful of it, “I call it darn good.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
"Darn it all, I like to be friendly with my friends," he bluntly persisted.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
“You can put up your darn gun, inspector,” came the startling response.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
If she wanted so darn much to keep him why didn't she take him then?
The Innocent Adventuress
Mary Hastings Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for darn

darn

verb

to mend (a hole or a garment) with a series of crossing or interwoven stitches

noun

a patch of darned work on a garment
the process or act of darning

Derived Formsdarner, noundarning, noun

Word Origin for darn

C16: probably from French (Channel Islands dialect) darner; compare Welsh, Breton darn piece

darn

interjection, adjective, adverb, noun

a euphemistic word for damn (def. 1), damn (def. 2), damn (def. 4), damn (def. 4), damn (def. 15)

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 darn

"to mend" c.1600, perhaps from Middle French darner "mend," from darne "piece," from Breton darn "piece, fragment, part." Alternative etymology is from obsolete dern (see dern). Related: Darned; darning.

interj.

tame curse word, 1781, American English euphemism for damn, said to have originated in New England when swearing was a punishable offense; if so, its spread was probably influenced by 'tarnal, short for Eternal, as in By the Eternal (God), favorite exclamation of Andrew Jackson, among others. Related: darned (past participle adjective, 1806); darndest (superlative, 1844).