mending

American  

[men-ding] / ˈmɛn dɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that mends.

2. articles, especially clothes, to be mended.

   Grandmother always kept her mending in this wicker basket.

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mending British  

/ ˈmɛndɪŋ /

noun

1. something to be mended, esp clothes

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Etymology

Origin of mending

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

Example Sentences

There’s a tension in his art, between fracture and mending, destruction and creation, that holds out a promise of rebirth and lends humble forms outsize power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

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

At the ranch house, he found his mother sitting on the porch, mending socks.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck