darn

¹

[ dahrn ]

adjective

1. darned.

verb (used with object)

1. to curse; damn:

   Darn that pesky fly!

darn

²

[ dahrn ]

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

/ dɑːn /

interjection

1. a euphemistic word for damn damn damn damn damn

darn

²

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈdarner, noun
• ˈdarning, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of darn¹

First recorded in 1775–85; darned

Origin of darn²

First recorded in 1590–1600; origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of darn¹

C16: probably from French (Channel Islands dialect) darner; compare Welsh, Breton darn piece

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. give a darn. damn ( def 14 ).

Synonym Study

See mend.

Example Sentences

Over the years, Nickelodeon has come pretty darn close.

From Los Angeles Times

“We just need to stop the darn thing from moving,” Cruikshank said.

From Los Angeles Times

They were just so darn nice to each other.

From Los Angeles Times

For the cronies, life is pretty darn good, while everyone else in society struggles to get by.

From Salon

“Australia — they had a pretty robust and early flu season, and we are already starting to see a couple of cases of flu here in the U.S., which is pretty darn early,” Hudson said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dang
• doggone