trend

noun \ ˈtrend \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

1 a : a prevailing tendency or inclination : drift

current trends in education

b : a general movement : swing

the trend toward suburban living

c : a current style or preference : vogue

new fashion trends

d : a line of development : approach

new trends in cancer research

2 : the general movement over time of a statistically detectable change; also : a statistical curve reflecting such a change

3 : a line of general direction or movement

the trend of the coast turned toward the west

See trend defined for English-language learners

Examples of trend in a Sentence

the downward trend of the stock market
Digital technology is the latest trend in television.
There is a disturbing trend toward obesity in children.

Recent Examples of trend from the Web

There always has been a rather simple explanation for that trend: Unless the Derby produces some kind of fluky result, the fastest horse on the first Saturday in May is likely to remain the fastest horse two weeks later.

— dan wolken, USA TODAY, "Why it's impossible to pick against Derby winner Justify in the Preakness," 16 May 2018
Sports gambling is one step toward reversing that trend.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "Sports league best suited to take advantage of legalized gambling? It might be NASCAR | Charlotte Observer," 15 May 2018
But fans of the Milwaukee Brewers continue to buck that trend ... and having a roof and a talented team sure help.

— jeff maillet, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "With poor weather hurting MLB attendance, Brewers fans are still flocking to games ... or at least buying tickets," 14 May 2018
While that earlier trend was linked to Al-Qaeda, the more recent attacks have been linked to ISIS.

— kate leaver, Teen Vogue, "At Least 13 People Are Dead After a Family of 6 Allegedly Bombed 3 Churches in Indonesia," 14 May 2018
George said that abundance trend may have risen in recent years, based on the strong calf-production rates and other data.

— alex demarban, Anchorage Daily News, "Bowhead whales, dwellers of icy seas, enjoy steady growth off Alaska in the age of climate change," 13 May 2018
If that trend continues, many stocks will again begin to look like bargains.

— jeff sommer, New York Times, "Profits Are Soaring. The Stock Market Has Barely Noticed.," 11 May 2018
The county has gone Democratic in the last three presidential elections and Triantafilou said that trend is reflected in the primary turnout.

— dan horn, Cincinnati.com, "Democrats outnumber Republicans in Hamilton County's primary for first time in 36 years," 8 May 2018
Google Duplex will simply extend that trend even to those businesses who have not given in to the computerization of their reservation systems.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Service Workers Forced to Act Like Robots Meet Their Match," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of trend

circa 1777

in the meaning defined at sense 3

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

trend Synonyms

Synonyms

craze, enthusiasm, fad, fashion, go, last word, latest, mode, rage, sensation, style, vogue;

Near Antonyms

furor, fuss, hullabaloo, to-do, uproar;

bandwagon, crusade, cult, movement;

novelty, wrinkle;

caprice, fancy, whim;

Synonym Discussion of trend

tendency, trend, drift, tenor, current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.

- a general tendency toward inflation

trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

- the long-term trend of the stock market is upward

drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces

- the drift of the population away from large cities

or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse.

- got the drift of her argument

tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course.

- the tenor of the times

current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.

- an encounter that changed the current of my life

trend

verb

intransitive verb

1 a : to show a tendency : incline

prices trending upward

b : to become deflected : shift

opinions trending toward conservatism

2 a : to extend in a general direction : follow a general course

mountain ranges trending north and south

b : to veer in a new direction : bend

a coastline that trends westward

3 : to generate or attract a lot of interest or attention especially online and in social media

a trending news story

… a database that combs about 42 sources, including blogs, social media, peer-to-peer sites, video destinations, Twitter and popular Web sites to present a complete view of how brands, topics and ideas are trending online.
—Daisy Whitney

See trend defined for kids

Examples of trend in a Sentence

during the winter our school system trends toward canceling school at the drop of a hat—or at least a snowflake
the river trends east, then west again, forming an oxbow

Recent Examples of trend from the Web

For money managers outside the ETF ecosystem, seeking protection against choppy trading appears less compelling while the VIX index trends down toward January levels.

— yakob peterseil, Bloomberg.com, "Investors Bet on Fresh Stock Volatility Like It's August 2016," 18 May 2018
Democrats also pointed to their party’s win in a special election in the 178th state House district Tuesday as the latest evidence that Bucks County was trending blue.

— andrew seidman, Philly.com, "Fearing Democratic wave in suburbs, GOP seeks to hold line in Bucks' First District," 17 May 2018
Inventory isn’t keeping up with population growth and demand, and that’s exacerbated by interest rates trending up modestly.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "Homebuying today: Fewer homes, higher prices, and faster deals," 15 May 2018
However, the program clearly is trending in a positive direction and likely won’t be down for long.

— iliana limón romero, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Young Georgia State is No. 104 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 15 May 2018
The company stock, while trending up in the past week, is still more than 50 percent off its peak price five years ago.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is this the year SeaWorld makes a comeback?," 14 May 2018
The Rangers are the most glaring example of how the game has changed over the past 10 years as bullpens have become ultra-specific and dominating, and hitters have trended towards all or nothing power swings.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Striking trend: Rangers are poster team for rise in strikeouts | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 14 May 2018
Like moringa, kale was elevated from an ancient, humble European vegetable to the trend that wouldn’t stop trending.

— nikhita venugopal, Bon Appetit, "I Grew Up Eating This Common Indian Vegetable. Now It's a Wellness 'Superfood.'," 14 May 2018
Gafford will need to keep improving his skills as a finisher, free-throw shooter and defender, but is trending toward being a lottery pick.

— jeremy woo, SI.com, "2019 NBA Draft Big Board: Early Look at the Top 30 Prospects," 11 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of trend

Middle English, to turn, revolve, from Old English trendan; akin to Middle High German trendel disk, spinning top

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at sense 2a

See Words from the same year

trend Synonyms

Synonyms

arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, fall off, hook, round, sweep, swerve, wheel;

Antonyms

straighten;

turn, twist, wind;

deviate, veer;

TREND Defined for English Language Learners

trend

noun

: a general direction of change : a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common
: something that is currently popular or fashionable