mending

American

[men-ding] / ˈmɛn dɪŋ /

noun

the act of a person or thing that mends.
articles, especially clothes, to be mended.

Grandmother always kept her mending in this wicker basket.

mending British

/ ˈmɛndɪŋ /

noun

something to be mended, esp clothes

"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

Etymology

Origin of mending

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; mend, -ing ¹

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.

One of the biggest stars of the era was Shirley Temple, a sweet, ringleted child who comforted audiences by mending rifts in families and melting the hearts of tough guys.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

But the Mandelson mess makes mending what's been done that much harder.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

But inviting us to sit down with a show about mental health professionals mending their spirits is group therapy on a massive scale in a time of diagnosable disorder.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

Obsessed with mending his relationship with his daughters, Clooney's character drags his manager, played by Adam Sandler, and press agent, played by Laura Dern, on a trip to Europe.

From Barron's • Oct. 24, 2025

"And these are the potatoes for our supper. And this is the sweater I’ve just picked up from mending."

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023