mend

Where “mend” sits in English frequency

Definition

1. 1
   To physically repair (something that is broken, defaced, decayed, torn, or otherwise damaged).
2. 2
   To add fuel to (a fire).
3. 3
   To correct or put right (an error, a fault, etc.); to rectify, to remedy.
4. 4
   To put (something) in a better state; to ameliorate, to improve, to reform, to set right.
5. 5
   To remove fault or sin from (someone, or their behaviour or character); to improve morally, to reform.
6. 6
   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).
7. 7
   To correct or put right the defects, errors, or faults of (something); to amend, to emend, to fix.
8. 8
   To increase the quality of (someone or something); to better, to improve on; also, to produce something better than (something else).
9. 9
   To make amends or reparation for (a wrong done); to atone.
10. 10
    To restore (someone or something) to a healthy state; to cure, to heal.
11. 11
    To adjust or correctly position (something; specifically (nautical), a sail).
12. 12
    To put out (a candle).
13. 13
    To add one or more things in order to improve (something, especially wages); to supplement; also, to remedy a shortfall in (something).
14. 14
    To relieve (distress); to alleviate, to ease.
15. 15
    To reform (oneself).
16. 16
    To improve the condition or fortune of (oneself or someone).
17. 17
    To repair the clothes of (someone).
18. 18
    To cause (a person or animal) to gain weight; to fatten.
19. 19
    Chiefly with the impersonal pronoun it: to provide a benefit to (someone); to advantage, to profit.
20. 20
    Of an illness: to become less severe; also, of an injury or wound, or an injured body part: to get better, to heal.
21. 21
    Of a person: to become healthy again; to recover from illness.
22. 22
    Now only in least said, soonest mended: to make amends or reparation.
23. 23
    To become morally improved or reformed.
24. 24
    Chiefly used together with make: to make repairs.
25. 25
    To advance to a better state; to become less bad or faulty; to improve.
26. 26
    To improve in amount or price.
27. 27
    Of an error, fault, etc.: to be corrected or put right.
28. 28
    Followed by of: to recover from a bad state; to get better, to grow out of.
29. 29
    Of an animal: to gain weight, to fatten.
30. 30
    To advantage, to avail, to help.

Etymology

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).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emnd,medn,mendd,mennd,mmend,mned

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mend - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Frequently Asked Questions