mend
/mɛnd/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
pin pen merger/mɪnd/
mend verb: to physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged).
Verb
mend (third-person singular simple present mends, present participle mending, simple past and past participle mended)
- To physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged).
- My trousers have a big rip in them and need mending.
- When your car breaks down, you can take it to the garage to have it mended.
- To add fuel to (a fire).
- [I]n, you Rogue, and vvipe the pigges, and mend the fire, that they fall not, or I'le both baſte and roaſt you, till your eyes drop out, like 'hem.1614 November 10 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Beniamin Iohnson [i.e., Ben Jonson], Bartholmew Fayre: A Comedie, […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1631...
- He mended the fire and turned the meat on the greenwood racks.1992 May, Cormac McCarthy, chapter I, in All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy; 1), London: Picador, published 1993, →ISBN, page 92
- To correct or put right (an error, a fault, etc.); to rectify, to remedy.
- Dro[mio of Syracuse]. […] [S]he ſvveats a man may goe ouer-ſhooes in the grime of it. / Anti[pholus of Syracuse]. That's a fault that vvater vvill mend.c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- [Y]ou muſt examine vvhere the fault is, and taking the Pin out mend the fault in the Joynt.1678 January 11 – February 11 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Moxon, “Numb[er] II. Applied to the Making of Hinges, Locks, Keys, Screws and Nuts Small and Great. Of Hinges.”, in Mechanick Exercises, or...
- Synonyms:
- make good, set straight
- To put (something) in a better state; to ameliorate, to improve, to reform, to set right.
- Her stutter was mended by a speech therapist.
- My broken heart was mended.
- To remove fault or sin from (someone, or their behaviour or character); to improve morally, to reform.
- Youle not endure him, god ſhall mend my ſoule, / Youle make a mutinie among my gueſts: […]c. 1591–1595 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] Romeo and Iuliet. […] (Second Quarto), London: […] Thomas Creede, for Cuthbert Burby, […], published 1599, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], signature...
- I vvould thou vvert a mans tailer, that thou mightſt mend him and make him fit to goe, I cannot put him to a priuate ſouldier, that is the leader of ſo many thouſands, […]c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henrie the Fourth, […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600...
- In mend one's pace: to adjust (a pace or speed), especially to match that of someone or something else; also, to quicken or speed up (a pace).
- Cudgell thy braines no more about it, for your dull aſſe vvill not mend his pace vvith beating, […]c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604...
- When children to the school at morn did pass / With basket-store, thou [a goat] mendedst then thy pace, / And boldly into every school-bag spied / With insolent but inoffensive pride, / Till, bit by bit, the morning lunch was thine, / And off you sauntered as the clock struck nine.1856, James Fielder, “Lines Addressed to Mr. Johnson on Killing His Goat”, in The Souvenir of Friendship, London: […] [Woodfall and Kinder] for the author, […], →OCLC, page 25
- To correct or put right the defects, errors, or faults of (something); to amend, to emend, to fix.
- Salt Earth and bitter are not fit to ſovv, / Nor vvill be tam'd or mended vvith the Plough.1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 81, lines...
- [W]here Marle is not laid too thick, nor is of too tough binding cold a quality, it vvill often mend Clays, eſpecially Grazing ground, […]1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, “Of Marle”, in The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson...
- To increase the quality of (someone or something); to better, to improve on; also, to produce something better than (something else).
- [N]ay he can ſing / A meane moſt meanely, and in huſhering, / Mende him vvho can, the Ladies call him ſvveete.c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby...
- Beleeu't deere Lord, / You mend the Ievvell by the vvearing it.c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- To make amends or reparation for (a wrong done); to atone.
- Yee may sir, (quoth he), mend three nayes with one yee.1546, John Heywood, chapter XI, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part I, page 62
- Come, come, you haue bin too rough, ſomthing too rough: you muſt returne, and mend it.c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- To restore (someone or something) to a healthy state; to cure, to heal.
- Yearly thy Herds in vigour vvill impair; / Recruit and mend 'em vvith thy Yearly care: […]1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 99, lines...
- We have had terrible rains these two or three days. I intended to dine at lord treasurer's, but went to see lady Abercorn, who is come to town, and my lord; and I dined with them, and visited lord treasurer this evening. His porter is mending.1711 September 1 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter XXVII.”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift...
- To adjust or correctly position (something; specifically (nautical), a sail).
- VVhy he vvill looke vppon his boote, and ſing: mend the Ruffe and ſing, aske queſtions and ſing, picke his teeth, and ſing: I knovv a man that had this tricke of melancholy hold a goodly Mannor for a ſong.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- [Y]our Crovvnes avvay,^([sic – meaning awry?']) / Ile mend it, and then play— […]c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
- To put out (a candle).
Show 18 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- To add one or more things in order to improve (something, especially wages); to supplement; also, to remedy a shortfall in (something).
- VVill you goe vvith me, vvee'll mend our dinner here?c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- Roſ[alind]. […] Buy thou the Cottage, paſture, and the flocke, / And thou ſhalt haue to pay for it of vs. / Cel[ia]. And vve vvill mend thy vvages: / I like this place, and vvillingly could / VVaſte my time in it.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- To relieve (distress); to alleviate, to ease.
- To reform (oneself).
- [B]id the diſhoneſt man mend himſelf, if he mend, he is no longer diſhoneſt; […]c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- To improve the condition or fortune of (oneself or someone).
- [W]hatſoeuer is Nevv, is vnlooked for; And euer it mends Some, and pairs Other: […]1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Innouations. XXIIII.”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC, page 140
- I vvas born indeed in your Dominions, but your ſe[r]vice vvas hard, and your vvages ſuch as a man could not live on, for the vvages of Sin is death [Romans 6:23]; therefore vvhen I vvas come to years, I did as other conſiderate perſons do, look out, if perhaps I might mend my ſelf.1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, pages 67–68
- To repair the clothes of (someone).
- "Ready?" said the old gentleman inquiringly, when his guests had been washed, mended, brushed, and brandied.1836 March – 1837 October, Charles Dickens, “A Short One—Showing among Other Matters, How Mr. Pickwick Undertook to Drive, and Mr. Winkle to Ride; and How They Both Did It”, in The Posthumous Papers...
- She will tend him, nurse him, mend him; / Air his linen, dry his tears. / Bless the thoughtful fates that send him / Such a wife to soothe his years!1877 November 17 (first performance), W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, librettist; Arthur Sullivan, composer, The Sorcerer. […], New York, N.Y.: A. S. Seer, […], published 1879, →OCLC, Act [II], page 22
- To cause (a person or animal) to gain weight; to fatten.
- Chiefly with the impersonal pronoun it: to provide a benefit to (someone); to advantage, to profit.
- Of an illness: to become less severe; also, of an injury or wound, or an injured body part: to get better, to heal.
- My long ſickneſſe / Of Health, and Liuing, novv begins to mend, […]c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- Some days later it happened that young Heriotside was stepping home over the Lang Muir about ten at night—it being his first jaunt from home since his arm had mended.1902 January, John Buchan, “The Outgoing of the Tide”, in The Watcher by the Threshold, and Other Tales, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1902, →OCLC, pages 241–242
- Of a person: to become healthy again; to recover from illness.
- The queen is mending of her gout, and intends to be brought in a chair to parliament when it meets, […]1713 March 4 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter XV.”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […]...
- But the fever has left him, and the doctor says he will soon mend.1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 5.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 262
- Now only in least said, soonest mended: to make amends or reparation.
- You are in a peck of troubles, as most men are who are free-livers, and are led astray by artful and alluring females. However, as Lady Betty says, 'the least said the soonest mended.'1836, [Frederick] Marryat, “The Pirate. Chapter V. The Old Maid.”, in The Pirate, and The Three Cutters. […], London: […] Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, →OCLC, page 46
- I have not let Mr. Spencer see that I have discovered his secret, I can do that or not, according to circumstances hereafter, neither have i said any thing of my discovery to Mrs. B. or Camilla. At present, 'least said soonest mended.'1841, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter VIII, in Night and Morning […], volume III, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book IV, page 85
- To become morally improved or reformed.
- Let ſhame come vvhen it vvill, I doe not callit, / […] / Mend vvhen thou canſt, be better at thy leaſure, / I can be patient, […]c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […]...
- VVe have both of us our failings that vvay, […] but it is never over-late to mend: therefore I begin, and do penance in this vvhite ſheet for vvhat is paſs'd; I hope you vvill do the like, and ſo vve may abſolve one another vvithout a Ghoſtly Father.1655, James Howell, “XXXVII. To R. Bowyer, Esq.”, in [Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ.] A Fourth Volume of Familiar Letters, upon Various Emergent Occasions, […], volume IV, London: […] Humphrey Mos[e]ley, […]...
- Chiefly used together with make: to make repairs.
- An evill pen, is that vvhich is ſouple or vveake, vvhich vvhen thou makeſt, or mendeſt, muſt haue a ſhort ſlit, and bee ſuffered to remaine great on both ſides, becauſe it is vveake; […]1622, David Browne, “The Manner How to Forme the Penne”, in The New Invention, Intituled, Calligraphia: Or, The Arte of Faire Writing: […], Saint Andrews, Fife, Scotland: […] Edward Raban, printer to...
- [T]he piece of woollen fabric which has been rejected by those who make or mend, and who must make or mend so cheaply that the veriest vagrant may be their customer, is formed not only into a new material, but into a material which sometimes is made into a new garment. These garments are inferior...1851, Henry Mayhew, “On the Wholesale Business at the Old Clothes Exchange”, in London Labour and the London Poor; […], volume II (The London Street-folk. Book the Second.), London: [Griffin, Bohn...
- To advance to a better state; to become less bad or faulty; to improve.
- Then would ye mend as the fletcher mends his bolt, / Or sowre ale mendeth in summer, […]1546, John Heywood, chapter IX, in Julian Sharman, editor, The Proverbs of John Heywood. […], London: George Bell and Sons, […], published 1874, →OCLC, part II, page 154
- VVhat thinke you of this foole Maluolio, doth he not mend?c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- To improve in amount or price.
- Of an error, fault, etc.: to be corrected or put right.
- Young men, whose passions are not a little unruly, give small hopes of their ever being considerable; the fire of youth will of course abate, and is a fault, if it be a fault, that mends every day; but surely, unless a man has fire in his youth, he can hardly have warmth in old age.1712 June 28 (Gregorian calendar), [Alexander Pope], “TUESDAY, June 18, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 408; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V...
- Followed by of: to recover from a bad state; to get better, to grow out of.
- Of an animal: to gain weight, to fatten.
- To advantage, to avail, to help.
Noun
mend (countable and uncountable, plural mends)
- An act of repairing.
- My trousers have a big rip in them and need a mend.
- A place in a thing (such as a tear in clothing) which has been repaired.
- Chiefly in on the mend: improvement in health; recovery from illness.
- Though he was fearfully weak, he found himself actually feeling better. The disease had spent itself, and the mend had begun.1911 March, Jack London, “The Jessie”, in Adventure, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, page 39
- "[…] Then, as luck of one sort or another would have it, I got laid out with a broken ankle on a Bombay quay."
Carrados voiced commiseration.
"But you made a very good mend of it," he said.1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
- Recompense; restoration or reparation, especially (Christianity) from sin.
- Synonyms:
- mends
mend meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Telugu
mend in Hindi
- to physically repair (something that is damaged)
- ठीक करना ṭhīk karnā
mend in Tamil
- சீர் செய்
mend in Urdu
- to physically repair (something that is damaged)
- ٹھیک کرنا ṭhīk karnā
mend in Telugu
- to mend, repair, put right, set right
- బాగుచేయు bāgucēyu
More languagesFewer languages
- mend in Malayalam
- നന്നാക്കുക, കേടുപാടുതീർക്കുക, പ്രാപിക്കുക, നന്നായിത്തീരുക
- mend in Kannada
- ಚೀವು, ಚಿವ್ವು, ಜೀವು, ಸರಿಪಡಿಸು
- mend in Punjabi
- ਗੰਢਣਾ gaṇḍhṇā, گنڈھنا gaṉḍhṇā
- mend in Sanskrit
- संधा saṃdhā
- mend in Arabic
- أَصْلَحَ ʔaṣlaḥa
- mend in Persian
- درست کردن dorost kardan
- mend in Thai
- ซ่อม sɔ̂m
- mend in Vietnamese
- sửa chữa, vá, khâu, sửa
Examples of mend in a sentence
- [H]e [Jesus] ſawe other two brethren, James the ſonne of Zebede, and Jhon his brother, in the ſhip with Zebede their father, mendynge their nettes, and called them.1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius...
- [A] fellow mending the tiles just when the fire broke out, saw a pot with wildfire in the room.1713 February 7 (date written; Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter LIX.”, in Thomas Sheridan...
- I wish we could get the bell mended—but Betsey is a very handy little messenger.1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter VII, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC...
- The boy first remembered him as sitting in the door of the plantation blacksmith-shop, where he sharpened plow-points and mended tools and even did rough carpenter-work when he was not in the woods.1941 January 25, William Faulkner, “Go Down, Moses”, in Go Down, Moses, New York, N.Y.: Random House, published 1942 (3rd printing), →OCLC...
Synonyms of mend
14 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of mend
| Verb | |
|---|---|
| third-person singular present | mends |
| present participle | mending |
| past participle | mended |
| past | mended |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | mendest |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | mendedst |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | mendeth |
| Noun | |
| plural | mends |
Origin of mend
From Middle English menden (“to cure; to do good to, benefit; to do or make better, improve; to get better, recover; to keep in a good state; to put right, amend; to reform, repent”), the aphetic form of amenden (“to alter, change (especially for the better); to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure; to excel, surpass; to forgive; to get or make better, improve; to make ready; to mend, repair, restore; to get well, recover; to relieve”), or from its etymon Anglo-Norman amender and Old French amender (“to cure; to fix, repair; to set right, correct”) (modern French amender), from Latin ēmendāre, the present active infinitive of ēmendō (“to atone; to chastise, punish; to correct, remedy, amend; to cure”), from ē- (variant of ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’)) + mendum (“defect; error, fault”) (from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (“defect; fault”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs).
Partly: * (chiefly etymology 2 sense 2 (“recompense; restoration or reparation”)) from Middle English mend, mende (“cure, remedy; damages, recompense; atonement; penance; relief”), the aphetic form of amende, amendes (“retribution, amends; a fine; atonement; penance”) (though attested slightly earlier); or directly from its etymon Anglo-Norman amende, Middle French amende, and Old French amende (“a fine”) (modern French amende), from amender (verb) (see etymology 1); and * from mend (verb).
Words formed from mend
Words that rhyme with mend
48 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- suspend
- trend
- ascend
- offend
- pretend
- unbend
- commend
- tend
- amend
- contend
- depend
- lend
- distend
- impend
- recommend
- rend
- shend
- subtend
- tight end
- upend
- wend
- append
- befriend
- blend
- pend
- resend
- transcend
- abend
- comprehend
- entend
- fend
- obtend
- perpend
- portend
- unfriend
- vend
- weekend
- when'd
- blende
- defriend
- disrecommend
- emend
- expend
- forfend
- forspend
- freakend
- genetic dead end
- heaven forfend
Questions about mend
- What does mend mean?
- Mend means to physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged).
- What is mend in Hindi?
- Mend in Hindi is ठीक करना (ṭhīk karnā). See Mend meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use mend in a sentence?
- [H]e [Jesus] ſawe other two brethren, James the ſonne of Zebede, and Jhon his brother, in the ſhip with Zebede their father, mendynge their nettes, and called them.
- What part of speech is mend?
- Mend can be a verb or a noun.
- How do you pronounce mend?
- Mend is pronounced /mɛnd/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of mend?
- The past tense of mend is mended.
Words near mend in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: mend (page history and authors); mend (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); బాగుచేయు (Telugu) (page history and authors); mend (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); mend (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); گنڈھنا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); संधा (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-mend.wav.
Cite this entry: “mend.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mend. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.