plural in form but singular or plural in construction
: compensation for a loss or injury : recompense
trying to make amends for his bad behavior

Examples of amends in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After decades of tension, Graham Nash and David Crosby were en route to make amends, until the latter died in January at age 81. Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2023 But Michele told Harris that she's done a lot of soul-searching and has tried to make amends. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2023 That convinces him that the best way to make amends is to pass himself off as a grunt in the DeMeo Crew’s organized crime syndicate, with the goal of getting close with the head of the family — capo Roy DeMeo (Abeckaser). Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Feb. 2023 In these cases, the customer is right, and the business should do everything in its power to make amends. Michael Podolsky, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 After going through a painful detox, Rue goes on an apology tour — hoping to make amends with her sponsor, Ali, and her friends Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) and Elliot (Dominic Fike). Samantha Stutsman, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2023 Germany’s government has tried to make amends by sending weapons to Ukraine, breaking with a past practice of not delivering arms to conflict zones. James Angelos, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2023 The office aims to bring together the victims and perpetrators of an alleged offense, with the hope the offender can make amends and all parties can grow from the incident. Marissa J. Lang, Washington Post, 23 Jan. 2023 Southwest Airlines appeared to have righted its operations this week while seeking to make amends to customers caught in a holiday meltdown that a key lawmaker said Wednesday will be the focus of congressional hearings. Lori Aratani, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amends.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English amendes, from Anglo-French, plural of amende reparation, from amender

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amends was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near amends

Cite this Entry

“Amends.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amends. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amends

noun singular or plural
: something done or given by a person to make up for a loss or injury he or she has caused
make amends
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!