mend fences

phrase

variants or mend one's fences
: to improve or repair a relationship that has been damaged by an argument or disagreement
She mended fences with her father.
She and her father are trying to mend their fences.
After the election, he spent a lot of time mending political fences.

Examples of mend fences in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Trump, though, ended with an attempt to mend fences — to a point. — Jocelyn Noveck, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 So my answer now is no, although there’s always time to mend fences. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026 How did Ainsley mend fences with her college roommate? — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026 This is exactly what Putin is doing in Syria; despite having bombed his forces repeatedly during the country’s 13-year civil war, Putin was more than happy to invite rebel-turned-president al-Sharaa to the Russian capital in October in an attempt to mend fences. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mend fences

Rhymes for mend fences

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Browse Nearby Words

Mendès-France
mend fences
mendicancy
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Cite this Entry

“Mend fences.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mend%20fences. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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