"if it ain't broke, don't fix it" meaning in English

See if it ain't broke, don't fix it in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

Etymology: Attested at least since 1962, originally Southern United States English; popularized by T. Bert Lance in May 1977. Head templates: {{head|en|proverb|head=}} if it ain't broke, don't fix it, {{en-proverb}} if it ain't broke, don't fix it
  1. Leave something alone; avoid attempting to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient (often with an implication that the attempted improvement is risky and might backfire). Synonyms: leave well enough alone, if it ain't broken, don't fix it, if it ain't busted, don't fix it Coordinate_terms: don’t change a winning team, don’t change horses in midstream, don’t mess with success, let sleeping dogs lie Translations (leave something alone): 東西沒壞就別修它 (Chinese Mandarin), 东西没坏就别修它 (dōngxi méi huài jiù bié xiū tā) (Chinese Mandarin), älä korjaa sitä, mikä ei ole rikki (Finnish), ist es nicht hin, mach es nicht heil (German), repariere nichts, was nicht kaputt ist (German), מה שעובד - לא נוגעים (Hebrew), אם זה לא מקולקל, אל תתקן (Hebrew), जो चीज़ खराब नहीं है उसे ठीक ना करें (jo cīz kharāb nahī̃ hai use ṭhīk nā karẽ) (Hindi), ha nincs baja, ne javítsd meg (Hungarian), 角を矯めて牛を殺す (tsuno-wo-tamete ushi-wo-korosu) (alt: つのをためて うしをころす) (Japanese), nie szukaj dziury w całym (Polish), em time que está ganhando, não se mexe (Portuguese), si funciona, no lo toques (Spanish), om det inte är trasigt, fixa det inte (Swedish), не зла́мано - не ладна́й (ne zlámano - ne ladnáj) (Ukrainian)
    Sense id: en-if_it_ain't_broke,_don't_fix_it-en-proverb-yMO3Jfdh Categories (other): English aphorisms, English proverbs, English terms with placeholder "it"

Download JSON data for if it ain't broke, don't fix it meaning in English (3.7kB)

{
  "etymology_text": "Attested at least since 1962, originally Southern United States English; popularized by T. Bert Lance in May 1977.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English aphorisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "coordinate_terms": [
        {
          "word": "don’t change a winning team"
        },
        {
          "word": "don’t change horses in midstream"
        },
        {
          "word": "don’t mess with success"
        },
        {
          "word": "let sleeping dogs lie"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I know it’s an ugly-looking antenna, but it gets the job done, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Leave something alone; avoid attempting to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient (often with an implication that the attempted improvement is risky and might backfire)."
      ],
      "id": "en-if_it_ain't_broke,_don't_fix_it-en-proverb-yMO3Jfdh",
      "links": [
        [
          "Leave",
          "leave"
        ],
        [
          "alone",
          "alone"
        ],
        [
          "correct",
          "correct"
        ],
        [
          "fix",
          "fix"
        ],
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "sufficient",
          "sufficient"
        ],
        [
          "backfire",
          "backfire"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "leave well enough alone"
        },
        {
          "word": "if it ain't broken, don't fix it"
        },
        {
          "word": "if it ain't busted, don't fix it"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "東西沒壞就別修它"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "dōngxi méi huài jiù bié xiū tā",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "东西没坏就别修它"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "älä korjaa sitä, mikä ei ole rikki"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "ist es nicht hin, mach es nicht heil"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "repariere nichts, was nicht kaputt ist"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "מה שעובד - לא נוגעים"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "אם זה לא מקולקל, אל תתקן"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "jo cīz kharāb nahī̃ hai use ṭhīk nā karẽ",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "जो चीज़ खराब नहीं है उसे ठीक ना करें"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "ha nincs baja, ne javítsd meg"
        },
        {
          "alt": "つのをためて うしをころす",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tsuno-wo-tamete ushi-wo-korosu",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "角を矯めて牛を殺す"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "nie szukaj dziury w całym"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "em time que está ganhando, não se mexe"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "не сломалось — не чини (ne slomalosʹ — ne čini)",
          "sense": "leave something alone"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "si funciona, no lo toques"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "om det inte är trasigt, fixa det inte"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "ne zlámano - ne ladnáj",
          "sense": "leave something alone",
          "word": "не зла́мано - не ладна́й"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
}

{
  "coordinate_terms": [
    {
      "word": "don’t change a winning team"
    },
    {
      "word": "don’t change horses in midstream"
    },
    {
      "word": "don’t mess with success"
    },
    {
      "word": "let sleeping dogs lie"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Attested at least since 1962, originally Southern United States English; popularized by T. Bert Lance in May 1977.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "head": ""
      },
      "expansion": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it",
      "name": "en-proverb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English aphorisms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms with placeholder \"it\""
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I know it’s an ugly-looking antenna, but it gets the job done, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Leave something alone; avoid attempting to correct, fix, or improve what is already sufficient (often with an implication that the attempted improvement is risky and might backfire)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Leave",
          "leave"
        ],
        [
          "alone",
          "alone"
        ],
        [
          "correct",
          "correct"
        ],
        [
          "fix",
          "fix"
        ],
        [
          "improve",
          "improve"
        ],
        [
          "sufficient",
          "sufficient"
        ],
        [
          "backfire",
          "backfire"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "leave well enough alone"
    },
    {
      "word": "if it ain't broken, don't fix it"
    },
    {
      "word": "if it ain't busted, don't fix it"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "東西沒壞就別修它"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "dōngxi méi huài jiù bié xiū tā",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "东西没坏就别修它"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "älä korjaa sitä, mikä ei ole rikki"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "ist es nicht hin, mach es nicht heil"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "repariere nichts, was nicht kaputt ist"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "מה שעובד - לא נוגעים"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "אם זה לא מקולקל, אל תתקן"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "jo cīz kharāb nahī̃ hai use ṭhīk nā karẽ",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "जो चीज़ खराब नहीं है उसे ठीक ना करें"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "ha nincs baja, ne javítsd meg"
    },
    {
      "alt": "つのをためて うしをころす",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tsuno-wo-tamete ushi-wo-korosu",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "角を矯めて牛を殺す"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "nie szukaj dziury w całym"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "em time que está ganhando, não se mexe"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "не сломалось — не чини (ne slomalosʹ — ne čini)",
      "sense": "leave something alone"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "si funciona, no lo toques"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "om det inte är trasigt, fixa det inte"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "ne zlámano - ne ladnáj",
      "sense": "leave something alone",
      "word": "не зла́мано - не ладна́й"
    }
  ],
  "word": "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-01 using wiktextract (fc4f0c7 and c937495). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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