repair

The word “repair” means to fix something that is broken or damaged. In plain terms, to mend something broken, or the state of something in terms of whether it needs mending.

“Repair” is pronounced rih-PEH-uh (/ɹɪˈpɛɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “repair” used in a sentence: “The mechanic repaired the brakes in under an hour.”

Words with a similar meaning to “repair” include amend, correct, fix, fix up, furbish and retrieve.

The opposite of “repair” — its antonyms — are aggravate, break, hurt, damage and make matters worse.

Depending on how it is used, “repair” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “repair” comes from Latin. From Middle French reparer, from Latin reparare, "to make ready again," from re- plus parare, "to prepare.".

“Repair” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

Repair and fix mean much the same thing: to restore something broken to working order. Fix is more casual and covers a wider range, including quick or temporary solutions. Repair is slightly more formal and often implies more thorough or skilled work. You might quickly fix a glitch, but you repair a damaged engine.

To repair is to mend something so the original item works again. To replace is to remove the broken item entirely and put a new one in its place. Repair keeps what you have; replace swaps it out. People often weigh the two by cost, deciding whether fixing something is worthwhile or a fresh one is cheaper.

Repairing covers any act of mending. Examples include patching a punctured tyre, sewing a torn shirt, fixing a leaking pipe, restoring a cracked phone screen, or servicing a car so it runs properly again. In each case something damaged is returned to working condition rather than thrown away or left broken.