Definition

Noun 1. The act of repairing something; restoration to a working or whole condition. Refers to the process or action of fixing something that is broken, damaged, or torn. 2. (Often used in the plural: mendings) Items, especially garments, that need to be or are in the process of being repaired. Refers to the objects themselves that require fixing.

Usage and Examples

• As the action of repairing:
  • The mending of the old fence took all weekend.
  • She is skilled at the mending of china.
• Referring to items needing repair:
  • She sat down with a basket of mending.
  • My mendings are piling up; I need to sew these buttons back on.

Advanced Usage

• "Beyond mending": Used to describe something that is too badly damaged to be repaired, either literally or figuratively.
  • Their friendship was beyond mending after the argument.
• The term often carries a connotation of careful, skillful handwork, especially concerning fabrics or relationships.

Variants and Related Words

• Mend (verb): To repair or fix something.
  • He learned to mend his own socks.
• Mender (noun): A person who repairs things.
• On the mend (idiomatic phrase): Recovering from an illness or a bad situation.
  • After a week in bed, she is finally on the mend.

Synonyms

• Repairing (noun)
• Fixing (noun)
• Restoration
• Darning (specifically for fabrics)

Antonyms

• Breaking
• Damaging
• Destroying

Notes

• While "mending" can apply to objects like machinery or furniture, it is most commonly associated with repairing clothes, fabrics, and by extension, personal relationships or situations ("mending fences").

Noun

1. the act of putting something in working order again
2. garments that must be repaired