Repair Meaning
/ɹɪˈpɛə/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo restore to good working order, fix, or improve damaged condition; to mend; to remedy.
verbTo make amends for, as for an injury, by an equivalent; to indemnify for.
Sentence Examples
I made a temporary repair to the broken door.
Will you manage to repair my car?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The broken bicycle chain needs to ____ before the important race tomorrow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The mechanic needed two days to ____ the engine damage caused by the overheating incident.
Word Origin & History
Coined between 1300 and 1350 from Middle English repairen, from Middle French reparer, from Latin reparō (“renew, repair”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Secret refreſhings, that repair his ſtrength,"
— 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 44:
"Do thou, as thou art wont, repair / My heart with gladness,"
— 1807, William Wordsworth, “To the Daisy”, in Poems, in Two Volumes, volume II, London: […] Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], →OCLC, page 96:
"I'll repair the misery thou dost bear."
— c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
"One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains.[…]But out of sight is out of mind. And that[…]means that many old sewers have been neglected and are in dire need of repair."
— 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
"To function in conversation, children must develop the ability to appreciate and respond to listener feedback. This developing awareness is evident in sequences during which children provide repairs in response to indications that a message has not been understood."
— 1986 March 26, Bonnie Brinton, Martin Fujiki, Diane Frome Loeb, and Erika Winkler, “Development of Conversational Repair Strategies in Response to Requests for Clarification”, in Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, volume 29, number 1, →DOI, →ISSN, page 75:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The broken bicycle chain needs to ____ before the important race tomorrow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The mechanic needed two days to ____ the engine damage caused by the overheating incident.