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# darn

verb (darn, darns, darned, darning); interjection (darn!); adjective/adverb (darn, darned — mild)

«darn» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To darn a sock or jumper is to mend a hole by sewing threads across it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#m1)
2. (mild swearing) «Darn!» or «Darn it!» is said when you are annoyed, instead of a stronger word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#m2)
3. (informal) Darn or darned means very, or annoying: a darn good idea, that darn cat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#m3)

### In the lessons

In real speech, especially in North America, «darn» is a polite replacement for ruder words; it is mild and often heard in children's films. In history and everyday life people darned socks instead of buying new ones. In stories it shows a character is cross but polite.

### Examples

- Grandma darned the hole in my sock. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x1)
- (mild) Darn it, I forgot my lunch! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x2)
- (mild) That darn cat knocked over the plant again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x3)
- (informal) It was a darn good match. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x4)
- She sat by the fire darning a jumper. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x5)
- (mild) Darn, the bus has gone! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/#x6)

### Note

Regular verb: darned, darning. The interjection is a softened swear word (a «minced oath»), fine for most children but not for formal writing. «Darned» (adjective) means the same as the mild «darn».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «darn» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/darn/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«darn» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/darn.html) on Mova free.