1
as in watched
to take charge of especially on behalf of another
tend the store while I run an errand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grew
to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care
lately I haven't been doing a good job of tending my garden
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cultivated
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens
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4
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about
the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tended
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
As for why the vote in congressional races has tended to shift in Democrats’ favor, there’s a simple, non-diabolical explanation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Earlier presidents in the approval rating series tended to have higher average approval ratings than the more modern-era presidents polled by Gallup.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026
Clinical accuracy is not something with which poets have traditionally tended to preoccupy themselves, but Tennyson’s account of mental extremity impressed the experts.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The victim was tended to while fire crews worked to contain the fire to the area of origin, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
While medics from Jackson Community Ambulance tended to him, officials learned that two children were still inside the house.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Since Arteta was appointed in December 2019, Arsenal have tended to spend more heavily on youngsters (though scarcely anything has been spent on under-21s, reflecting their productive academy).
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Retired and on her own schedule, Toland-Hall also tended to her backyard garden filled with strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
Having hit the ground running with the one-two punch of Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023), Fennell immediately showed a knack for provocation and a willingness to poke social-issue bears, even if the aim-to-grasp ratio tended to fall short.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
As for why the vote in congressional races has tended to shift in Democrats’ favor, there’s a simple, non-diabolical explanation.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Earlier presidents in the approval rating series tended to have higher average approval ratings than the more modern-era presidents polled by Gallup.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026
Clinical accuracy is not something with which poets have traditionally tended to preoccupy themselves, but Tennyson’s account of mental extremity impressed the experts.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The victim was tended to while fire crews worked to contain the fire to the area of origin, officials said.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
While medics from Jackson Community Ambulance tended to him, officials learned that two children were still inside the house.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Since Arteta was appointed in December 2019, Arsenal have tended to spend more heavily on youngsters (though scarcely anything has been spent on under-21s, reflecting their productive academy).
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Retired and on her own schedule, Toland-Hall also tended to her backyard garden filled with strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tended. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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