Amends

/əˈmɛndz/

nounIntermediateCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Reparation or compensation for a wrong or injury.

/əˈmɛndz/

nounneutralIntermediate
General

Compensation for a wrong

He made amends to his sister for breaking her favorite vase.

💡 Simply: Making things right after doing something wrong.

More Examples

2

The company offered amends to its customers for the faulty product.

How It's Used

Legal

"The company made amends for the data breach by offering free credit monitoring."

Personal

"She offered her sincere amends for her hurtful words."

Idioms & expressions

make amends

To compensate for a wrong or injury.

"I need to make amends for my behavior at the party."

From Old French 'amende' meaning 'fine, compensation', ultimately from Latin 'emendare' meaning 'to correct, improve'.

Historically, 'amends' often referred to monetary fines or payments, reflecting its etymological roots.

Memory tip

Think of 'amending' something broken; amends are what you do to fix it.

amends'amendsesamendsing

Usage

20%Spoken
80%Written