mend

[ mend ]
/ mɛnd /

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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

Idioms for mend

    mend sail, Nautical. to refurl sails that have been badly furled. Also mend the furl.
    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.

Origin of mend

1150–1200; Middle English menden, aphetic variant of amend

SYNONYMS FOR mend

1 fix, restore, retouch. 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.
2 rectify, amend, emend.
3 ameliorate, meliorate.
4 heal, recover, amend.

OTHER WORDS FROM mend

British Dictionary definitions for on the mend

mend
/ (mɛnd) /

verb

noun

Derived forms of mend

mendable, adjective mender, noun

Word Origin for mend

C12: shortened from amend

Idioms and Phrases with on the mend (1 of 2)

on the mend

Recovering one's health, as in I heard you had the flu, but I'm glad to see you're on the mend. This idiom uses mend in the sense of “repair.” [c. 1800]

Idioms and Phrases with on the mend (2 of 2)

mend