mend

[ mend ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing:

   to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy.

   Synonyms: retouch, restore, fix

   Antonyms: destroy, ruin

2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.

   Synonyms: emend, amend, rectify

3. to set right; make better; improve:

   to mend matters.

   Synonyms: ameliorate

verb (used without object)

1. to progress toward recovery, as a sick person.

   Synonyms: amend, recover, heal

   Antonyms: sicken, die

2. (of broken bones) to grow back together; knit.
3. to improve, as conditions or affairs.

noun

1. the act of mending; repair or improvement.
2. a mended place.

mend

/ mɛnd /

verb

1. tr to repair (something broken or unserviceable)
2. to improve or undergo improvement; reform (often in the phrase mend one's ways )
3. intr to heal or recover
4. intr (of conditions) to improve; become better
5. tr to feed or stir (a fire)

noun

1. the act of repairing
2. a mended area, esp on a garment
3. on the mend
   becoming better, esp in health

Derived Forms

• ˈmendable, adjective
• ˈmender, noun

Other Words From

• menda·ble adjective
• re·mend verb
• un·menda·ble adjective
• un·mended adjective
• well-mended adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mend¹

1150–1200; Middle English menden, aphetic variant of amend none

Word History and Origins

Origin of mend¹

C12: shortened from amend

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. mend sail, Nautical. to refurl sails that have been badly furled. Also mend the furl.
2. on the mend,
   1. recovering from an illness.
   2. improving in general, as a state of affairs:

      The breach between father and son is on the mend.

More idioms and phrases containing mend

• on the mend

Synonym Study

Mend, darn, patch mean to repair something and thus renew its usefulness. Mend is a general expression that emphasizes the idea of making whole something damaged: to mend a broken dish, a tear in an apron. Darn and patch are more specific, referring particularly to repairing holes or tears. To darn is to repair by means of stitches interwoven with one another: to darn stockings. To patch is to cover a hole or tear, usually with a piece or pieces of similar material and to secure the edges of these; it implies a more temporary or makeshift repair than the others: to patch the knees of trousers, a rubber tire.

Example Sentences

But Thune, who did not face a significant primary challenge, has worked hard to mend fences.

From Salon

Some have speculated Trump might use his second term as president to help mend the deep divisions he’s created over the last tempestuous decade.

From Los Angeles Times

He has gained some of Alice's trust back after working to mend the father-daughter relationship in the first season.

From Salon

She tells him in the first season that washing her soccer jersey when it's dirty or serving her blueberries isn't enough to mend what's been broken.

From Salon

Budget cuts and staff departures during the first Trump administration gutted the EPA’s enforcement capacity — a problem that the agency has spent the past four years trying to mend.

From Salon

Related Words

• ameliorate
• cure
• heal
• rebuild
• reconstruct
• rectify
• redress
• rejuvenate
• renew
• repair
• restore
• revamp
• sew