mend

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

mend, v. t. [Abbrev. fr. amend. See Amend.].

•  To repair, as anything that is torn, broken, defaced, decayed, or the like; to restore from partial decay, injury, or defacement; to patch up; to put in shape or order again; to re-create; as, to mend a garment or a machine.  [1913 Webster]
•  To alter for the better; to set right; to reform; hence, to quicken; as, to mend one's manners or pace.  [1913 Webster]

  "The best service they could do the state was to mend the lives of the persons who composed it."  [1913 Webster]
•  To help, to advance, to further; to add to.  [1913 Webster]

  "Though in some lands the grass is but short, yet it mends garden herbs and fruit."  [1913 Webster]

  "You mend the jewel by the wearing it."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To improve; help; better; emend; amend; correct; rectify; reform.

mend, v. i. 

 To grow better; to advance to a better state; to become improved; to recover; to heal.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

on the mend pred. a. recovering from an illness or injury.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

mend, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. restore to a sound condition; repair (a broken article, a damaged road, torn clothes, etc.).
2 intr. regain health.
3 tr. improve (mend matters).
4 tr. add fuel to (a fire).
--n. a darn or repair in material etc. (a mend in my shirt).

Idiom

mend one's fences make peace with a person. mend one's manners improve one's behaviour. mend or end improve or abolish. mend one's pace go faster; alter one's pace to another's. mend one's ways reform, improve one's habits. on the mend improving in health or condition.

Derivative

mendable adj. mender n.

Etymology

ME f. AF mender f. amender AMEND

THESAURUS

mend

Great Leap Forward, acculturate, advance, advancement, ameliorate, amelioration, amend, amendment, ascent, better, bettering, betterment, boost, bring forward, civilize, cobble, come along, come on, commission, condition, convalesce, convalescent, convalescing, correct, darn, develop, do up, doctor, edify, educate, elevate, emend, enhance, enhancement, enlighten, enrich, enrichment, eugenics, euthenics, fatten, favor, fix, fix up, forward, foster, furtherance, gain, gain ground, get ahead, get along, get better, get well, go ahead, go forward, go straight, graduate, grow better, headway, heal, improve, improve upon, improvement, improving, lard, lift, look up, make an improvement, make headway, make progress, make strides, meliorate, melioration, mending, nurture, on the mend, overhaul, patch, patch up, perk up, pick up, pickup, preferment, progress, progression, promote, promotion, put in commission, put in order, put in repair, put in shape, put right, raise, ready, rebuild, recap, recondition, reconstruct, recover, recovering, recovery, rectify, recuperate, redress, refine upon, reform, refurbish, rehabilitate, rejuvenate, remedy, renew, renovate, repair, restoration, restore, retread, revamp, revise, revival, right, rise, service, set right, set to rights, sew up, shape up, show improvement, skyrocket, socialize, straighten out, take off, tinker, tinker up, transfigure, transform, upbeat, upgrade, uplift, upping, upswing, uptrend, upward mobility, vamp

ROGET THESAURUS

mend

Improvement

N improvement, amelioration, melioration, betterment, mend, amendment, emendation, mending, advancement, advance, ascent, promotion, preferment, elevation, increase, cultivation, civilization, culture, march of intellect, menticulture, race-culture, eugenics, reform, reformation, revision, radical reform, second thoughts, correction, limoe labor, refinement, elaboration, purification, oxidation, repair, recovery, revise, new edition, reformer, radical, improving, progressive, improved, better, better off, better for, all the better for, better advised, reformatory, emendatory, reparatory, remedial, corrigible, improvable, accultural, on consideration, on reconsideration, on second thoughts, on better advice, ad melius inquirendum, urbent latericiam invenit marmoream reliquit.

VB improve, be better, become better, get better, mend, amend, advance, ascend, increase, fructify, ripen, mature, pick up, come about, rally, take a favorable turn, turn over a new leaf, turn the corner, raise one's head, sow one's wild oats, recover, be better, be improved by, turn to right account, turn to good account, turn to best account, profit by, reap the benefit of, make good use of, make capital out of, place to good account, render better, improve, mend, amend, better, ameliorate, meliorate, correct, decrassify, improve upon, refine upon, rectify, enrich, mellow, elaborate, fatten, promote, cultivate, advance, forward, enhance, bring forward, bring on, foster, invigorate, touch up, rub up, brush up, furbish up, bolster up, vamp up, brighten up, warm up, polish, cook, make the most of, set off to advantage, prune, repair, put in order, review, revise, make corrections, make improvements, doctor, purify, relieve, refresh, infuse new blood into, recruit, reform, remodel, reorganize, new model, view in a new light, think better of, appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, palliate, mitigate, lessen an evil, improve, be better, become better, get better, mend, amend, advance, ascend, increase, fructify, ripen, mature, pick up, come about, rally, take a favorable turn, turn over a new leaf, turn the corner, raise one's head, sow one's wild oats, recover, be better, be improved by, turn to right account, turn to good account, turn to best account, profit by, reap the benefit of, make good use of, make capital out of, place to good account, render better, improve, mend, amend, better, ameliorate, meliorate, correct, decrassify, improve upon, refine upon, rectify, enrich, mellow, elaborate, fatten, promote, cultivate, advance, forward, enhance, bring forward, bring on, foster, invigorate, touch up, rub up, brush up, furbish up, bolster up, vamp up, brighten up, warm up, polish, cook, make the most of, set off to advantage, prune, repair, put in order, review, revise, make corrections, make improvements, doctor, purify, relieve, refresh, infuse new blood into, recruit, reform, remodel, reorganize, new model, view in a new light, think better of, appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, palliate, mitigate, lessen an evil.