darn

¹ American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

adjective

1. darned.

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verb (used with object)

1. to curse; damn.

   Darn that pesky fly!

idioms

1. give a darn. damn.

darn ² American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to mend (torn clothing, especially of knitted fabric) with rows of stitches, sometimes by crossing and interweaving rows to span a gap.

   At the sound of my greeting, Grandma looked up and stopped darning the sock, holding her arms out for a hug.

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noun

darns plural

1. a darned place, as in a garment.

   That old sweater full of darns was one of my favorite things to put on after work.

darn ¹ British  

/ dɑːn /

verb

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

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noun

1. a patch of darned work on a garment

2. the process or act of darning

darn ² British  

/ dɑːn /

interjection

1. a euphemistic word for damn damn damn damn damn

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Synonym Usage

See mend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• darner
  noun
• darning
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• darns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of darn¹

First recorded in 1775–85; see origin at darned

Origin of darn²

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin unknown

Explanation

To darn is to stitch up a small hole in a piece of clothing. Instead of throwing your worn-out socks away, you can just darn the holes in their toes. When you darn your socks or sweaters, you use a needle and thread to close small holes in the woven fabric. There's even a specific stitch known as a "darning stitch," in which you first weave the thread with the grain of the fabric, and then fill in the other "woven" direction. The result is a sturdy patch made only of thread. Darn comes from the Middle French darner, "mend."

Example Sentences

If voters still have some spots left on their ballots, I urge them to consider Skye P. Marshall, who is half of the reason ‘Matlock’s’ central friendship works so darn well.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

“Unless you think there is a real slowdown in tech investment, the backdrop is pretty darn good.”

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

In terms of why she caught the world’s attention and ended up selling so darn many books and becoming such an icon, I think number one, of course, is her talent.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

And I’d say that currying the favor of 84% is still pretty darn good.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

“She makes a lot of money,” he said, “and she should buy her own darn comic book.”

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Related Words

• dang
• doggone