mend fences

present singular third person mends fences · participle present mending fences · participle past mended fences · past mended fences

1. idiomaticTo repair damage to a friendship or relationship after a disagreement or other mishap.

   I don't think he was very happy with my work, so I'm going to talk to him and try to mend fences.

   3 more examples

   And furthermore, just because I agree to take a walk doesn't mean we've mended fences. But he doesn't pick up.

   2009, Elinor Lipman, The Family Man, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 23

   Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has signalled a rare attempt to mend fences with China when he appointed two MPs considered friendly towards Beijing to two senior posts in his governing Liberal Democratic party (LDP).

   2014 September 3, Justin McCurry, “Japan's Shinzo Abe appoints pro-China MPs in bid to mend fences with Beijing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   She [Meloni] has reduced Italy’s dealings with China, too – and helped mend fences with Orbán.

   2024 May 4, Simon Tisdall, “Giorgia Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen, the double act that is steering the EU ever rightwards”, in The Observer, →ISSN