mend fences
mend fences
Meaning
- to try and improve a bad relationship with another party
- to try and repair or restore a relationship that has been marred by an argument or misunderstanding
Example Sentences
- After the nasty fight with her sister, Alice decided to mend fences by buying her sister some presents.
- It is always advisable to mend fences with colleagues at work immediately after a disagreement occurs.
- Natalia is someone who is always willing to set her differences aside and mend fences with whomever she has had issues with.
- Why don't we forgive, forget and mend fences?
- Jason mended fences with his mother by replacing the teapot that he had broken earlier.
- Mark is very good at mending fences with people he had previously hurt.
- When you hurt people with your actions, you should do everything you can to mend fences with them.
Origin
The idiom originated from the 17th century proverb which states “Good fences make good neighbours”. So apparently, when the fence is damaged, it is mended or repaired in order to maintain the good relationship with your neighbour. So in the 20th century, the phrase evolved and was then used to refer to rebuilding previously good relationships.