mend

mend

I

mend¹ /mend/ verb
1.  REPAIR  [transitive]
  a. to repair a tear or hole in a piece of clothing:
    My father used to mend our shoes.
  b. British English to repair something that is broken or not working
   SYN  fix:
    When are you going to mend that light in the hall?
    Tim can mend any broken toy.
2.  BECOME HEALTHY  [intransitive] informal if a broken bone mends, it becomes whole again
   SYN  heal:
    His leg isn’t mending as quickly as he’d expected.
3. mend your ways to improve the way you behave after behaving badly for a long time:
    If he doesn’t mend his ways, he’ll be asked to leave.
4. mend (your) fences to try to become friendly with someone again after you have offended them or argued with them:
    Is it too late to mend fences with your ex-wife?
5.  END A QUARREL  [transitive] to end a quarrel or difficult situation by dealing with the problem that is causing it
   SYN  repair:
    I’ve tried to mend matters between us, but she’s still very angry.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ repair to do some work on something that is damaged or not working properly, so that it is in good condition again: The builders are coming to repair the roof. | Have you had the washing machine repaired yet?
   ▪ fix especially American English to repair something: I’m taking the car in to get it fixed. | The chain on the bike needs fixing.
   ▪ mend especially British English to repair something that is damaged, torn, or not working: I’ve found someone who’ll mend the fence. | Can you mend this sweater for me? | Fishermen sat mending their nets in the sunshine.
   ▪ service to check a vehicle or machine and repair it if necessary, especially regularly: You should have your car serviced every six months. | When was the last time we had the gas boiler serviced?
   ▪ renovate to repair an old building so that it looks in good condition again: They bought an old house and renovated it themselves.
   ▪ restore to repair something old and valuable, especially a building, piece of furniture, painting etc, so that it looks the same as it did originally: Many paintings were damaged in the fire but have now been restored. | The hotel was restored to its original Victorian splendour in 1984.
   ▪ do up British English informal, fix up American English informal to repair an old building or vehicle, so that it looks in good condition again: He does up old cars and sells them. | A builder bought the house and fixed it up.
   ▪ patch something up to quickly repair something that has a hole in it, by putting a piece of material on it, especially temporarily: They patched up the wall with bits of cement.
   ▪ darn to repair holes in clothes: Are you any good at darning socks?

II

mend² noun [countable]
1. be on the mend to be getting better after an illness or after a difficult period
   SYN  be recovering:
    He’s had flu, but he’s on the mend.
    signs that the economy is on the mend
2. a place in something where it has been repaired