What does repairing mean?
“Repairing” means mending, restoring, or putting right something that is damaged, broken, or faulty. It is the present-participle and gerund form of “repair” and is commonly used for physical work: repairing a vehicle, building, pipe, or road. The word can also have a broader social or figurative use, as when someone works at repairing a relationship or reputation. Its usual implication is active restoration: the damaged or defective condition is identified and corrected rather than merely avoided. In everyday speech, “fixing” is often the more familiar alternative, while “repairing” may sound slightly more formal or deliberate. It is also used in the gerund construction “the repairing of something,” especially in technical, legal, or administrative contexts. The form does not itself indicate that the task has been completed, so it generally describes work in progress or an activity.
verbTo mend, restore, or make something good again, especially by fixing damaged or faulty parts. It can also mean to put right or remedy a problem.
- To mend or restore something that is damaged, broken, or in poor condition.
- To remedy a problem or put something right.
- Present participle of “repair,” used to describe an activity in progress.
"The engineer spent the afternoon repairing the leaking pipe."
"Crews are repairing the road after the storm."
"She apologized for the misunderstanding and worked on repairing their friendship."
One word can cover both fixing a cracked pipe and mending a strained friendship: both are acts of restoration.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does repairing come from?
“Repair” comes through Middle English from Old French “repairer” or “reparer,” ultimately from Latin “reparare,” formed from “re-,” meaning again, and “parare,” meaning to prepare or arrange. The Latin verb developed the sense of restoring or putting something in order. Its related forms include “reparation,” meaning repair or recompense, and “reparative,” meaning tending or serving to repair.
Related word forms
How repairing is actually used
The form is used both as the present participle of “repair” and as a gerund noun in constructions such as “the repairing of the roof.” In formal writing, a hyphen may be used when it modifies a following noun, as in “repairing work,” though usage varies.
Easily confused with repairing
“Repairing” means restoring something that is damaged or faulty, whereas “reparing” usually means hesitating or withholding a judgment.