darn

1 of 5

verb (1)

darned; darning; darns

transitive verb

1
: to mend with interlacing stitches
2
: to embroider by filling in with long running or interlacing stitches
darner noun

darn

2 of 5

noun (1)

: a place that has been darned
a sweater full of darns

darn

3 of 5

adjective or adverb

variants or less commonly durn
: damned

darn

4 of 5

verb (2)

variants or less commonly durn
darned also durned
: damn
darned adjective or adverb
or less commonly durned

darn

5 of 5

noun (2)

variants or less commonly durn
: damn

Examples of darn in a Sentence

Verb (1) in the old days, holes in socks had to be darned by hand Adjective or adverb I can't seem to tie this darn shoe Noun (2) nobody gave a darn about us when we were poor, but now that we are rich, we have friends we never knew about!
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
By now, there’s little to no reason to not think of this squad as the WNBA’s best, name recognition be darned. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2024 The social communities will make that connection really darn fast. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 In addition, Best Buy has some pretty darned good management. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2024 The result: Both treatments were pretty darned effective at staving off respiratory failure with no major complications. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for darn 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'darn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

perhaps from French dialect darner

Adjective or adverb

euphemism

First Known Use

Verb (1)

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1720, in the meaning defined above

Adjective Or Adverb

1781, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1781, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of darn was circa 1600

Dictionary Entries Near darn

Cite this Entry

“Darn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/darn. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

darn

1 of 4 verb
: to mend with interlacing stitches
darn socks

darn

2 of 4 noun
: a place that has been darned

darn

3 of 4 verb
darn
ˈdärn
adjective or adverb
or darned
ˈdärn(d)

darn

4 of 4 noun
: damn entry 2 sense 2
not worth a darn

More from Merriam-Webster on darn

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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