English Reference
Noun

amends

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /əˈmɛndz/ UK /ɐmˈɛndz/ amends Finance

n.something you do to fix a mistake or make up for hurting someone. You usually use it in the phrase 'make amends'.

n.an action taken to repair a wrong or injury; to compensate for a fault. Typically used in the fixed phrase 'make amends'.


SIMPLE

He sent flowers to make amends for his rude comment.

CONTEXTUAL

She offered to pay for the dinner to make amends for being late.

COMPLEX

The company issued a public apology and donated to charity to make amends for the environmental damage caused by the spill.

Usage

Always used in the plural form 'amends' and typically follows the verb 'make'.

Pitfall
make an amendmake amends

The word is always plural in this idiom; 'amend' as a singular noun is rare and archaic.


From French amendes, plural of amende. Compare with amende.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin French amendes
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated