tended; tending; tends
2
: to move, direct, or develop one's course in a particular direction
cannot tell where society is tending
tended; tending; tends
1
: to pay attention : apply oneself
tend to your own affairs
tend to our correspondence
2
: to act as an attendant : serve
tended to his wife
3
archaic
: listen
4
obsolete
: await
1
2
: to stand by (something, such as a rope) in readiness to prevent mischance (such as fouling)
3
archaic
: to attend as a servant
Examples of tend in a Sentence
Verb (1)
her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics
Verb (2)
tend the store while I run an errand
lately I haven't been doing a good job of tending my garden
plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens
the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone
Recent Examples on the Web
Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Fruits with higher fiber tend to have a lower glycemic index (GI).
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 29 Dec. 2025
Some research and surveillance reports suggest that H3N2 strains tend to be associated with more severe illness and higher rates of hospitalization and death compared to others, including H1N1 and influenza B, especially among older adults.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025
Rae's character went from tending to the Drummond family to being the housemother of the all-girls boarding school, Eastland School.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tend
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Verb
Cover or tend to sensitive crops, plants, and vegetation.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Fruits with higher fiber tend to have a lower glycemic index (GI).
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 29 Dec. 2025
Some research and surveillance reports suggest that H3N2 strains tend to be associated with more severe illness and higher rates of hospitalization and death compared to others, including H1N1 and influenza B, especially among older adults.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 Dec. 2025
Rae's character went from tending to the Drummond family to being the housemother of the all-girls boarding school, Eastland School.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tend
Cite this Entry
“Tend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tend. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tend
1 of 2 verb1
: to pay attention
tend to business
2
a
: to take care of
b
: to help the growth or development of
tend the garden
3
: to have responsibility for as caretaker
tended sheep
4
: to manage the operation of or do the necessary work connected with
tend the fire
tend
2 of 2 verb1
: to move or turn in a certain direction
the road tends to the right
2
: to be likely
a person who tends to slouch
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