amend. v. to alter or change by adding, subtracting, or substituting. One can amend a statute, a contract or a written pleading filed in a law suit. The change is usually called an amendment. The legislature will amend a statute, the parties to a contract can amend it, and a party to a lawsuit can amend his or her own pleading. A contract can be amended only by the parties participating in the contract. If the contract is written, it can be amended only in writing (although curiously enough an oral contract can be amended orally or in writing).