# mend

> English word · Verb · IPA /mɛnd/ · frequency rank #18,888

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

## Easily confused with
- **MN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mn)
- **met** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-met)
- **min** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-min)
- **MUD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mud)
- **mod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mod)
- **mon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mon)
- **mer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mer)
- **MEP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mep)
- **mun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mun)
- **mes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mes)
- **mew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mew)
- **mex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mex)
- **MSN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-msn)
- **meu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-meu)
- **mind** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mind)
- **mine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mine)
- **mess** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mess)
- **mini** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mini)
- **mood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-mood)
- **menu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mend-vs-menu)

## Common misspellings (6)
`emnd`, `medn`, `mendd`, `mennd`, `mmend`, `mned`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mend