repair

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/rɪˈpɛr/
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A return to a sound state or a familiar place.
Practice using repair in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • They are trying to repair their friendship.
  • She is repairing a tear in her coat.
  • No payment can fully repair that loss.
  • This grove had long been their summer repair.
  • The old account calls the harbor a repair of sailors.

Similar words

redress
condition
haunt
retire
restore
fix
retreat
fix
rebuild
mend

Meanings

Make a damaged thing work again

verb
everyday
neutral
To fix something that is damaged or broken so that it works or is sound again.

Examples

  • Can you repair this chair?
  • The garage repaired the car after the accident.
  • We need to repair the roof before winter.
  • She is repairing a tear in her coat.
  • The phone was too old to repair.

Similar words

fix
mend
restore

Restore a damaged relationship

verb
relationships
neutral
To improve a relationship, reputation, or other situation after harm has been done.

Examples

  • They are trying to repair their friendship.
  • The apology helped repair trust.
  • She worked hard to repair her reputation.
  • Can the company repair the damage it caused?
  • It may take years to repair their relationship.

Similar words

restore
rebuild
mend

Make amends for a wrong

verb
justice
formal
To compensate for a wrong or loss by doing something that makes it right as far as possible.

Examples

  • The fund was created to repair past injustices.
  • No payment can fully repair that loss.
  • The court asked how the harm could be repaired.
  • The program aims to repair the damage done to families.
  • An apology alone will not repair the wrong.

Similar words

redress
make amends for
compensate for

Work that fixes damage

noun
everyday
neutral
The work of fixing something damaged, or a particular result of that work.

Examples

  • The bike needs a repair before we ride it.
  • The house requires expensive repairs.
  • Who paid for the repair of the bridge?
  • Her quick repair kept the tent dry.
  • The shop finished the repairs by Friday.

Similar words

fix
mending
restoration

Condition after maintenance

noun
everyday
neutral
The state of being kept sound or usable, especially in expressions such as in good repair.

Examples

  • The old house is still in good repair.
  • The roof fell into bad repair over the years.
  • The bridge is in poor repair.
  • They kept the bicycles in good repair.
  • The walls were beyond repair after the fire.

Similar words

condition
state of upkeep

Go to a place

verb
movement
formal
To go to a particular place, usually stated with to in formal or old-fashioned writing.

Examples

  • After dinner, they repaired to the library.
  • The guests repaired to the garden for tea.
  • The committee repaired to a private room.
  • At dusk, the travelers repaired to their rooms.
  • He repaired to the coast for a quiet weekend.

Similar words

go
proceed
retire

Place often visited

noun
places
archaic
A place to which people regularly go or return, now an old-fashioned use.

Examples

  • The inn was a favorite repair of local writers.
  • This grove had long been their summer repair.
  • The old account calls the harbor a repair of sailors.
  • That quiet café became his daily repair.
  • The poem describes the garden as a repair for birds.

Similar words

haunt
resort
retreat

Etymology

The fixing sense comes from Old French reparer, from Latin reparare, “make ready again.” The separate “go to a place” sense comes from Old French repairier, linked to returning home.

FAQ

What does repair mean?

Most often it means fixing something damaged so it works again.

Can you repair a relationship?

Yes. It means trying to restore trust after harm.

What does “in good repair” mean?

It means something has been maintained and is in sound condition.

Can repair be a noun?

Yes. It can name the fixing work or the resulting state of upkeep.

What does “repair to” mean?

In formal or old-fashioned writing, it means go to a place.

Do the two main histories of repair have the same origin?

No. The fixing word and the going-to-a-place word entered English through different Old French verbs.

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