repair1
/rɪˈpɛː
/verb [with object]
1Restore (something damaged, faulty, or worn) to a good condition: faulty electrical appliances should be repaired by an electrician...
- Led by the local district council and part-funded by the Energy Saving Trust, the 10 mill owners are installing new turbines, restoring blocked leats and repairing sluice gates.
- Companies try to protect their margins by selling additional services which consumers do not necessarily need, such as selling an insurance policy to cover the cost of repairing a faulty item.
- The restoration project involved repairing the roof, columns, and finishes; conservation of the art murals; and improving accessibility.
Synonyms
mend, fix (up), put right, set right, restore, restore to working order, make as good as new, patch up, put back together, overhaul, service, renovate, recondition, rehabilitate, rebuild, reconstruct, refit, adjust, regulate;
Northern English fettle
informal see to
mend, darn, sew up, stitch up, patch up
archaic clout
1.1Make good (damage): an operation to repair damage to his neck...
- The most immediate reason you'll need money, aside from repairing any damage your cars might sustain, is to purchase new machines or additional parts that you can use to tune your vehicles further.
- The government has already started repairing the badly damaged train line, an undertaking estimated to cost more than NT $270 million.
- If the damages can be repaired at minimal cost, you can pay for the repairs directly.
Synonyms
rectify, make good, put right, correct, right, redress, make up for, make amends for, make reparation for, compensate for
1.2Put right (an unwelcome situation): the new government moved quickly to repair relations with the USA...
- Although the government says it won't bail out the company, it has done precious little to repair the situation apart from sacking Subramanyam.
- Ford and his new executive team have already begun the healing process through a back-to-basics strategy which includes repairing relations with dealers and smoothing feathers ruffled by Nasser.
- They spent a long time repairing relations with Saudi Arabia and wouldn't therefore be involved, it seems to me, in an operation of bombings in Saudi Arabia.
Synonyms
put/set right, put to rights, patch up, mend, fix, sort out, straighten out, make better, improve, right, heal, cure, remedy, retrieve
noun [mass noun]
1The action of repairing something: the truck was beyond repair [count noun]: the abandoned house they bought needs repairs...
- Oil spills, petrochemical pollution, DDT, and toxic defoliants have rendered this appendix on the Caspian Sea's air, soil, and water almost beyond repair.
- In other words, if Spitzer sinks one or two major health insurers, the entire U.S. health care system could take a major hit, and may possibly be pushed beyond repair, at least for several years.
- While the lands also house the ruins of an earlier castle, previously home to the Blakes, one of the 14 ‘tribes’ of Galway, this structure is beyond repair.
Synonyms
restoration, fixing (up), renovation, rebuilding, reconstruction;
mending, servicing;
improvement, adjustment
archaic reparation
irreparable, irreversible, past mending, irretrievable, hopeless, past hope, beyond hope, irremediable, irrecoverable, incurable, beyond cure;
written off
1.1 [count noun] A result of repairing something: a coat of French polish was brushed over the repair...
- Advisers say they give a cushion to investors who may be cash-strapped at the beginning and may want the money to effect repairs on/or upgrade the property.
- Admissions to Bantry House are not subject to Vat and the maintenance, which includes staff wages and repairs, can be offset against tax.
- There is a robust replacement market or aftermarket, involving turbine repairs or rebuilding (not included in our discussion).
Synonyms
mend;
darn, patch
1.2The relative physical condition of an object: the hospital is in a bad state of repair...
- Usually, letting agreements provide that the tenant allows the landlord or his agent at all reasonable times to re-enter the premises to examine its condition and state of repair.
- By having all of the information up front, potential buyers can quickly assess the condition and state of repair of the house without having to engage their own surveyor.
- And just as one's friendships need to be kept in good repair, customer relationships can be maintained only through consistency.
Synonyms
condition, working order, state, shape, form, fettle
British informal nick
Derivatives
repairer
/ noun ...- In South Africa, we have formed an association for technicians and we go out to educate the public on the importance of taking their phones to right repairers who have right qualifications.
- Both manufacturers and repairers alike must be guided by the law of trademarks.
- Motor vehicle manufacturers cooperate with the selected dealers and repairers in order to provide specialised servicing for the product.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French reparer, from Latin reparare, from re- 'back' + parare 'make ready'.
repair2
/rɪˈpɛː/verb [no object] (repair to) formal or humorous
Go to (a place), especially in company: we repaired to the tranquillity of a nearby cafe...
- What kind of maniac, moreover, would deliberately ignite 20 pounds of explosives without first clearing the area by several city blocks at least (or in my case, repairing to our finished basement a block away)?
- I did mix it up in those three weeks, though: the occasional sojourn in a hostel, then repairing to a restaurant with actual tablecloths for a meal with the parents.
- Before repairing to a local hostelry for beer, cosmopolitans, odd conversation about the noise cotton wool makes and other such essential trivia.
Synonyms
go to, adjourn to, head for, wend one's way to;
retire to, withdraw to, retreat to;
set off for, take off for, leave for, depart for
formal remove to
literary betake oneself to
noun [mass noun] archaic
1Frequent or habitual visiting of a place: she exhorted repair to the church
1.1 [count noun] A place which is frequently visited or occupied: the repairs of wild beasts
Origin
Middle English: from Old French repairer, from late Latin repatriare 'return to one's country' (see repatriate).