repair 1 of 2

as in condition
a state of being or fitness the dining table is in good repair, so you won't need to refinish it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

repair

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb repair contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of repair are mend, patch, and rebuild. While all these words mean "to put into good order something that is injured, damaged, or defective," repair applies to the fixing of more extensive damage or dilapidation.

repaired the back steps

When is mend a more appropriate choice than repair?

In some situations, the words mend and repair are roughly equivalent. However, mend implies making whole or sound something broken, torn, or injured.

mended the torn dress

When is it sensible to use patch instead of repair?

While the synonyms patch and repair are close in meaning, patch implies an often temporary fixing of a hole or break with new material.

patch worn jeans

Where would rebuild be a reasonable alternative to repair?

The words rebuild and repair are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rebuild suggests making like new without completely replacing.

a rebuilt automobile engine

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 repair
Noun
Like any stable ecosystem, the route is constantly in flux and requires ongoing repair and renegotiated relationships with neighbors. Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025 Of course, sometimes those repairs do become an issue. Eric D. Lawrence, Freep.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Third-pair defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had surgery on Wednesday to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder that Maurice said will sideline him for five months. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025 Murray is expected to miss at least four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for repair
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repair
Noun
  • Heyward suggested that the conditions played a role in the injury, which is expected to end Killebrew’s season.
    Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The system has the ability to show warehouse operators how much of the warehouse is occupied, whether products and pallets are in the right location, how storage conditions seem and more.
    Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After years of sitting dormant, the station was restored as a new hotel, but a surprise was left behind on the top floor.
    Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The result can be a culture that restores its edge daily, rather than one that dulls until a major transformation is forced.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Thanks to budget increases from the city government, Wright hired two employees who make house calls to encourage owners to get their animals fixed and mend fences so that dogs known to wander can’t get loose.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Live Translation, in aiming to fix all that messiness in an algorithm streamed through Bluetooth earbuds, is not opening human communication up so much as flattening it.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This new health setback for the 15-time major champion has sparked intense debate in the golf world.
    Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The research report noted 80% of American households age 60 and over would not be able to withstand a financial shock, such as a divorce or health setback, making savings in cash or cash-like securities important, Davis said.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Investors cheered the improbable rise of the amateur heavy metal drummer and hard-line conservative, who’s expected to increase defense spending, cut taxes, and revive Japan’s nuclear power industry.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Deep sleepers will appreciate the gradual wakeup call from a large catalog of alarm sounds, and an alarm volume that reaches decibels capable of reviving a bear from its hibernation.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • An ideal scenario for the remainder of the year would have the recent choppiness last a bit longer to qualify as a proper scare, skimming the froth off the speculative stuff and resetting expectations in a way that rebuilds investors' capacity to be surprised to the upside.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Gaza faces rebuilding challenges as the first phase of the ceasefire remains in place.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • About 150 volcanoes in the Atacama Andes—including Láscar, Chile’s most active—create this shape-shifting environment that’s as active as the travelers cresting it.
    Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Such unsupervised conversational shape-shifting would make this rogue Humbert particularly charismatic.
    Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The fourth installment of the brands’ collaboration infuses playful details into elevated design, offering new styles in addition to refreshed versions of the Classic Platform and Trailbreak sneakers.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The entire process takes just a few minutes and leaves participants refreshed, relaxed, and clean.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Repair.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repair. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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