tend

1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈtend 

tended; tending; tends

intransitive verb

1

: to exhibit an inclination or tendency : conduce

tends to be optimistic

2

: to move, direct, or develop one's course in a particular direction

cannot tell where society is tending

tend

2 of 2

verb (2)

tended; tending; tends

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

1

a

: to apply oneself to the care of : watch over

tended her sick father

b

: to have or take charge of as a caretaker or overseer

tend the sheep

c

: cultivate, foster

d

: to manage the operations of : mind

tend the store

tend the fire

2

: to stand by (something, such as a rope) in readiness to prevent mischance (such as fouling)

3

archaic : to attend as a servant

Synonyms of tend

Verb (1)

• lean

Verb (2)

• watch
• supervise
• oversee
• manage
• attend

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

Verb

Municipal compost operations tend only to accept leaves generated by that town and may also provide small quantities of finished compost to residents for free or at a nominal charge, according to DEEP. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Nobody really asked that question out loud too much, and especially in my community, which tended to be more conservative than some other orders. — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Locker room celebrations in the NFL tend to be subdued until the Super Bowl, and since hockey players are famously superstitious, popping bottles early is practically verboten in the NHL; the Stanley Cup is all that really matters. — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

In big cities, people like this tend to pay rent, which often puts them—to borrow some Marxist terminology—in an antagonistic relationship with the local petite bourgeoisie. — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English tenden "to stretch, spread, direct oneself (to), incline toward," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French tendre "to stretch, hold out, offer, direct (one's course), go, aim (at)," going back to Latin tendere "to extend outward, stretch, spread out, direct (one's course), aim (at a purpose)" (Medieval Latin, "to lead toward, move in a particular direction") — more at tender entry 3

Verb (2)

Middle English tenden, shortened from attenden "to attend" or entenden, intenden "to intend"

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Phrases Containing tend

• tend bar

Rhymes for tend

• blend
• blende
• denned
• end
• fend
• friend
• lend
• mend
• penned
• send
• spend
• trend

Kids Definition

tend

1 of 2 verb

ˈtend 

1

: 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 verb

1

: to move or turn in a certain direction

the road tends to the right

2

: to be likely

a person who tends to slouch