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to needs fixing

to needs fixing

15 2.0
Requires repair or improvement
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : necesitar reparación
  • That tractor needs fixing.

In my case, there are still so many things that need fixing.

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Examples

  • There is little doubt that the system needs fixing.

    Academic text (2006)
  • A lot of things need fixing around here.

  • Any relationship that needs fixing, if it gets fixed, it's going to get fixed by you.

  • I mean, it needs fixing, though.

  • You just show me what needs fixing.

  • Yeah, a lot of things around here need fixing.

  • And there are lots of things that need fixing in this house.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Sometimes all we can see is what's missing, what needs fixing, and what's wrong.

    Blog text (29)
  • I made up lists of everything that needed fixing: broken planks in the deck, moldy corners in the basement.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The old plumbing in my house needs fixing before we can move in.

Antonyms

1.0

Able to be used and good enough for everyday tasks

How Broken

broken
31 1.0
to needs fixing
15 2.0
faulty
61 3.5

Surface Forms

needs fixing infinitive
needed fixing past participle
needing fixing present participle
needs fixing third person singular

Morphology

need + fixing

The meaning 'requires repair' is directly and compositionally derived from 'need(s)' (to require) plus 'fixing' (repair), so a learner who knows both words can infer that something requires repair. This verb + gerund/noun construction is a common, cross-linguistic pattern in English and should be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Needs fixing paints a simple picture: something is broken and needs someone to do the fixing. So when we say something 'needs repair or improvement', we mean it must be fixed.