mends

Definition of mendsnext
present tense third-person singular of mend
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as in compensates
to make up for (an offense) the proverb "least said, soonest mended" should be heeded by anyone tempted to angrily blurt out things they really don't mean

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in improves
to change one's behavior or character for the better everyone's written her off as a liar and a thief, but I say it's never too late to mend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mends The money helps to keep its doors open, fund church programs and mends the spirit of its congregation, the church wrote. Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mends
Verb
  • It’s formulated with rosemary that repairs fragile strands, while also being an anti-inflammatory that reduces dandruff and skin irritation on the scalp.
    Jailynn Taylor, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026
  • This tone-correcting conditioner is infused with ArganID Technology, which repairs and seals the cuticles.
    Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Given top billing for the first time while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery, the 29-year-old is putting together the best season of his career as the leader of a Celtics team that has far exceeded preseason expectations.
    Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
  • Vaire’s first prototype chip recovers energy in an arithmetic circuit.
    Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Because if medicine heals, education transforms.
    Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • That joy is part of your path, and that laughter heals.
    Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Or that players need to change their approach to off-season training to account for the quick lateral movements that can lead to acute injuries, or that team trainers need to be more prophylactic and smarter about understanding the way the body compensates for instabilities.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
  • If her musical moments are too few, her presence compensates for the imbalance.
    Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 19 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Ending the government shutdown would ease the situation for controllers, but the FAA said the flight cuts will remain in place until their safety data improves.
    JOSH FUNK, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Nix will only be on a rookie contract for so long, and the Broncos’ cap situation improves significantly in 2026.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The movie, a result of Cook’s wild imagination and British legends, is a horror fantasy drama set in 1893 about Betty Lutey (Beatie Edney), while barred from studying medicine, cures someone with Tuberculosis with a mermaid’a cursed pearl comb.
    James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Her father, Raúl, once a hopeful biotechnologist, now pours his fear into strange, homemade cures no one else trusts.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Their defensive group might be the best in the tournament, and the emergence of Leo Carlsson as an elite first-line center over the last few months fixes the roster’s most significant long-term issue.
    Sean Gentille, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
  • There’s no final scene where everything magically fixes itself.
    Larry Magid, Mercury News, 25 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • In total, the Ventana Wildlife Society — a group that traps, breeds and rehabilitates the vultures for release into the wild — has tracked 30 different condors that took multiple trips to parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties sometime in the past two years.
    Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025
  • While Madea rehabilitates her co-prisoners, her family on the outside struggles with the usual family issues.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mends. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.

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