darn

¹ American  

[dahrn] / dɑrn /

adjective

1. darned.

---

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.

---

noun

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

---

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

---

Related Words

See mend.

Other Word Forms

• darner noun
• darning noun

Etymology

Origin of darn¹

First recorded in 1775–85; 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

I think it all started with those darn clichés, thinking I had to work so arduously at everything.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

"A lot of our operations are definitely a skill from the past," said Dempsey, adding that people don't learn how to "darn their socks anymore."

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

“I really, really want people to engage with ‘Pluribus’ any darn way they want to,” Gilligan recently told Vulture.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025

It’s hard to convey just how wondrous and revolutionary and comforting it felt to attend Lilith Fair in the late 1990s to people who weren’t there, but this documentary comes pretty darn close.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

“Not as nimble as I used to be, but this old bird can still start a darn good fire.”

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• dang
• doggone