1
as in repairs
to put into good shape or working order again
that shirt will be as good as new when I'm finished mending it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in recovers
to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness
she's mending after a particularly nasty bout of the flu
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3
as in heals
to restore to a healthy condition
mended the broken plant so that it was soon thriving again
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4
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
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5
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
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6
as in cures
to bring about recovery from
the old adage that only time can mend a broken heart
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mends
Last month, the Dutch social enterprise United Repair Centre (URC), which mends clothing from performancewear brands such as Patagonia, Decathlon, Arc’teryx and The North Face, opened its second international outpost in Paris.
—
Fleur Britten, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Fleur Britten, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2026
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
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Nathan Swain repairs a ford just west of the settlement that was washed away during a recent rainstorm.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
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That’s the stage of sleep where the brain consolidates memory, repairs muscle and runs the nightly glymphatic cleaning cycle.—
John La Puma,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As Estévez recovers, the plan is to continue throwing while he is sidelined.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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Leon never fully recovers from his wife's death.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Perversely, this division might prove to be the one that heals.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2026
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To keep the airway open while the dog's face heals, Peanut had a small tube inserted into his nostril.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Texas compensates for its lack of income tax revenue with a higher sales tax.—
System Process,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
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When energy expenditure increases, the body often compensates by stimulating hunger.—
Claudio Villanueva,
The Conversation,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Once soil health improves, many gardeners find that digging individual planting holes is sufficient for establishing crops.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
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That said, judgments can remain valid for years and may be renewed, so if your financial situation improves later, creditors could attempt to collect at that time.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nothing cures a style rut quite like a little color blocking.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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This bill fixes that at zero cost to manufacturers.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
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OpenAI also has plans to add an adult mode for ChatGPT, but that won’t arrive until the company fixes its age-prediction system.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Berman rehabilitates rabbits that are abandoned, neglected, abused, and in danger of being euthanized.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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The charitable series, formerly starring LeAnne Rimes and Luke Grimes, ensures 15-percent of ticket proceeds go to the Saving Grace Equine Healing Foundation that rescues and rehabilitates horses.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mends. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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