mend fences
idiom
variants
or mend one's fences
: to improve or repair a relationship that has been damaged by an argument or disagreement
She mended fences with her father.
She and her father are trying to mend their fences.
After the election, he spent a lot of time mending political fences.
Examples of mend fences in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
How did Ainsley mend fences with her college roommate?
—
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
This is exactly what Putin is doing in Syria; despite having bombed his forces repeatedly during the country’s 13-year civil war, Putin was more than happy to invite rebel-turned-president al-Sharaa to the Russian capital in October in an attempt to mend fences.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
In Parker's nerve-racking scene, her character gives gifts to each member of the Stone clan in an effort to mend fences with them, and Keaton's signature wit is on full display.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Dec. 2025
After winning on a progressive platform to address affordability in the nation’s largest city, the democratic socialist has continued to mend fences with powerful figures to his right.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mend fences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
This is exactly what Putin is doing in Syria; despite having bombed his forces repeatedly during the country’s 13-year civil war, Putin was more than happy to invite rebel-turned-president al-Sharaa to the Russian capital in October in an attempt to mend fences.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
In Parker's nerve-racking scene, her character gives gifts to each member of the Stone clan in an effort to mend fences with them, and Keaton's signature wit is on full display.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Dec. 2025
After winning on a progressive platform to address affordability in the nation’s largest city, the democratic socialist has continued to mend fences with powerful figures to his right.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mend fences
Cite this Entry
“Mend fences.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mend%20fences. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
