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Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of repair in English

repair
verb [ T ]
us
/rɪˈper/ uk
/rɪˈpeər/
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A2
to put something that is damaged, broken, or not working correctly, back into good condition or make it work again:
to repair (the surface of) the road
to repair a roof after a storm
The garage said the car was so old it wasn't worth repairing.
I really must get my bike repaired this weekend.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to repair something
  • repairHe asked if she could repair the broken lamp.
  • fixI need to get my bike fixed.
  • mendCan you mend that hole in my pants?
  • do upNick loves doing up old cars.
  • serviceI'm taking the car in to have it serviced.
  • patch upI patched up the old bike and got it working.
See more results »
C2
If you repair something wrong or harmful that has been done, you do something to make it right:
to repair a broken friendship
Is it too late to repair the damage we have done to our planet?
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Correcting and mending
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Phrasal verb

repair to somewhere
repair
noun [ C or U ]
us
/rɪˈper/ uk
/rɪˈpeər/
B1
the act of fixing something that is broken or damaged:
My car is in the garage for repairs.
The repairs to the roof will be expensive.
The mechanic pointed out the repair (= repaired place) on the front of my car.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Correcting and mending
See more results »

Idioms

in good, bad, etc. repair
under repair
(Definition of repair from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

repair | Intermediate English

repair
verb [ T ]
us
/rɪˈpeər/
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to put something damaged, broken, or not working correctly back into good condition or make it work again:
Surgeons repaired the severed artery.
(Definition of repair from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

repair | Business English

repair
verb [ T ]
uk
/rɪˈpeər/ us
Add to word list Add to word list
to get something that is damaged or broken back into good condition, or to make something that is not working correctly work again:
He recommended a local company that repairs computers.
get/have sth repaired Breakdown cover is not expensive, if you compare the cost of getting your car repaired and possibly shipped back home.
It is going to cost $5,000 to repair the damage caused by the storm.
to do something to make a bad situation better:
The industry is still struggling to repair the damage of repeated scandals.
repair
noun [ C or U ]
uk
/rɪˈpeər/ us
the act of doing something to put something that is broken or damaged back into good condition or to make it work again:
emergency/essential/necessary repairs
extensive/major/minor repairs
a repair bill/repair costs
a car repair shop
carry out/do/make repairs They have a garage where mechanics change oil, perform tune-ups and do repairs.
repairs to sth The landlord failed to carry out the necessary repairs to the apartment.
beyond repair
something that is beyond repair is damaged so much that it cannot be repaired or that nothing can be done to help:
The public image of the brand may be damaged beyond repair.
The carpet was beyond repair, so the insurance company paid for a new one.
in good/bad, etc. repair (also in a good/bad, etc. state of repair)
in good/bad, etc. condition:
The fences on either side of the track were in poor repair.
under repair
being repaired:
This section of the road will be under repair until January.

See also

credit repair
home repair
running repairs
(Definition of repair from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of repair

repair
I had surgery to repair the break and spent 3 months on a walker.
From CNN
At 3:43 p.m., he underwent surgery to repair the shredded vein.
From NOLA.com
Yet the repairs had been superficial at best.
From Foreign Policy
So don't wait four-five years for repairing that, eh?
From The Atlantic
I also had a deviated septum, which was also repaired.
From CNN
There are many ways to try to repair the relationship after a fight.
From Huffington Post
It's how you handle them and repair communication that makes your relationship last.
From Huffington Post
With much of the aid money unspent, the country struggles to repair the damage.
From NPR
In several cases, the attacks effectively blinded the subs, forcing them back to base for repairs.
From National Geographic
The bridge is in need of $16 billion in repairs.
From The Star-Ledger - NJ.com
The titanium "bones" in his surgically repaired leg mean he'll likely never run again.
From MLive.com
Then, create a second set that can repair the break on the first, but contains breaks that only the first can repair.
From Ars Technica
It's possible they're trying, in vain, to repair damage.
From USA TODAY
He worked on oil rigs for close to 20 years and then started repairing boats.
From ThinkProgress
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with repair

repair

These are words often used in combination with repair.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

automobile repair
A majority of automobile repair workshops are independently owned and operated businesses.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
auto repair
There are coffee shops, restaurants, motels, markets, auto repair shops, jewelry shops, and many other things that did not exist before.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
automotive repair
It featured automotive repair and maintenance tips.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with repair
What is the pronunciation of repair?
 

Translations of repair

in Chinese (Traditional)
修理, 修補, 修復…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
修理, 修补, 修复…
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in Spanish
arreglar, reparar, arreglo…
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in Portuguese
consertar, conserto, reparar…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Telugu
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
दुरुस्त करणे - खराब झालेले, तुटलेले किंवा काम करत नसलेले काहीतरी पुन्हा चांगल्या किंवा उपयुक्ततेच्या स्थितीत आणणे., दुरुस्त करणे /जोडणे - तुमच्याकडून घडलेली चुकीची किंवा त्रासदायक गोष्ट पुन्हा योग्यप्रकारे करणे.…
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～を修理する, 直す, 修理…
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onarmak, tamir etmek, elden geçirmek…
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réparer, réparation [feminine], réparation…
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arreglar, reparar, reparació…
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repareren, herstellen, reparatie…
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சேதமடைந்த, உடைந்த, அல்லது சரியாக வேலை செய்யாத ஒன்றை மீண்டும் நல்ல நிலைக்கு மாற்ற அல்லது மீண்டும் வேலை செய்ய வைக்க…
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(क्षतिग्रस्त, टूटी हुई, या सुचारू रूप से न चलने वाली वस्तु की) मरम्मत करना…
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કંઈક ખરાબ થયું હોય, ક્ષતિ, ત્રુટિ થઈ હોય…
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reparere, gøre god igen, reparation…
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reparera, laga, rätta till…
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memperbaiki, membetulkan, pembaikan…
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reparieren, wiedergutmachen, die Reparatur…
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reparere, sette i stand, gjøre opp for…
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مرمت کرنا, بحال کرنا, تلافی کرنا…
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лагодити, ремонтувати, виправляти…
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బాగు చేయడం, ఏదైనా తప్పును కానీ లేదా ప్రమాదకరమైనదానిని కానీ బాగు చేయడం అంటే దానిని ఏదో ఒకటి చేసి సరిచేయడం, బాగుచేయడం/ విరిగిన లేదా దెబ్బతిన్నదాన్ని అతికించే పని…
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মেরামত করা, সারানো, পুনরুদ্ধার করা…
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spravit, napravit, oprava…
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memperbaiki, perbaikan, keadaan…
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ซ่อมแซม, ชดเชย, การซ่อมแซม…
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sửa, bù đắp, sự sửa chữa…
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naprawiać, naprawa, (z)reperować…
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고치다, 수선하다, 수리…
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riparare, riparazione, rimediare…
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repair to somewhere phrasal verb
repairable
repaired
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