WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mend /mɛnd/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to make (something damaged) better by repairing:[~ + object]to mend torn clothes.
  2. to set right;
    improve:[~ + object]See if you can mend matters between them.
  3. to (cause to) progress toward recovery: [no object]His broken arm is mending.[~ + object]The treatment mended his broken arm.

n. [countable]
  1. the act of mending.
  2. a mended place or part.
Idioms
  1. Idioms mend one's fences, to strengthen or establish again one's position by negotiation, discussing, or explaining:mended his fences with his wife's family.
  2. mend one's ways, to improve one's way of behaving:As he grew older he mended his ways and became a useful citizen.
  3. on the mend, improving, esp. in health:The patient was on the mend.

mend•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mend  (mend),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing:to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy.
  2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.
  3. to set right;
    make better;
    improve:to mend matters.

v.i. 
  1. to progress toward recovery, as a sick person.
  2. (of broken bones) to grow back together;
    knit.
  3. to improve, as conditions or affairs.
  4. Nauticalmend sail, to refurl sails that have been badly furled. Also, mend the furl. 

n. 
  1. the act of mending;
    repair or improvement.
  2. a mended place.
  3. on the mend:
    • Idiomsrecovering from an illness.
    • Idiomsimproving in general, as a state of affairs:The breach between father and son is on the mend.
  • Middle English menden, aphetic variant of amend 1150–1200
mend′a•ble, adj. 
    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 rents. To darn is to repair by means of stitches interwoven with one another:to darn stockings.To patch is to cover a hole or rent (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.
    1. ruin, destroy, 4. die, sicken.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mend /mɛnd/ vb
  1. (transitive) to repair (something broken or unserviceable)
  2. to improve or undergo improvement; reform (often in the phrase mend one's ways)
  3. (intransitive) to heal or recover
  4. (intransitive) (of conditions) to improve; become better
 n
  1. the act of repairing
  2. a mended area, esp on a garment
  3. on the mend ⇒ becoming better, esp in health
Etymology: 12th Century: shortened from amendˈmendable adj ˈmender n
'mended' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
fashion - have - high time - humpty dumpty - mend - solder - free - mending - well-mended

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