as in prone
having a tendency to be or act in a certain way
people tending toward daily exercise will significantly reduce their risk of cardiac arrest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in leaning
to show a liking or proneness (for something)
her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in supervising
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 growing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cultivating
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in managing
to look after and make decisions about
the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tending
Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
In San Martin that day, a helicopter landed, unloading between 20 and 30 soldiers who entered a property and detained five people who had been sowing grass and tending to pastures, the complaint said.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Once visited by emperors seeking clarity and samurai tending to battle wounds, these onsen remain cornerstones of Japanese culture.
—Kelsey Eisen, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026
Bruce Dern plays their caretaker, a man who refuses the order to destroy them and is left alone on the ship, tending the plants and teaching his small drone companions to help him.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Here’s where spiritual practice and generally tending to your body can be helpful.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
SNL‘s mock-trailer begins with Styles approaching other doctors tending to an apparent stroke victim.
—William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
Many popular influencers have been filming themselves tending flower gardens, canning pickles, and baking bread—usually to promote slower living and the benefits that come with it.
—Erica Jackson Curran, Parents, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
Without the same ties to the landscape and community, these proprietors might lack the know-how of tending to the land and its best interests at heart.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Mar. 2026
In San Martin that day, a helicopter landed, unloading between 20 and 30 soldiers who entered a property and detained five people who had been sowing grass and tending to pastures, the complaint said.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Guardsmen are also carrying out civic duties like picking up trash, tending to landscaping and scrubbing graffiti.
—Steven Beynon, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Once visited by emperors seeking clarity and samurai tending to battle wounds, these onsen remain cornerstones of Japanese culture.
—Kelsey Eisen, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2026
Bruce Dern plays their caretaker, a man who refuses the order to destroy them and is left alone on the ship, tending the plants and teaching his small drone companions to help him.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Here’s where spiritual practice and generally tending to your body can be helpful.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
SNL‘s mock-trailer begins with Styles approaching other doctors tending to an apparent stroke victim.
—William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
Many popular influencers have been filming themselves tending flower gardens, canning pickles, and baking bread—usually to promote slower living and the benefits that come with it.
—Erica Jackson Curran, Parents, 15 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending
Adjective
-
More than 35% of women in the US are deficient in vitamin D, and postmenopausal women diagnosed with osteoporosis are especially prone, according to a 2010 article in the Journal of Oncology Practice.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
-
But the scale and intensity of the current crisis have renewed concerns about disaster preparedness and the vulnerability of communities living near rivers and flood-prone areas.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lemay approached the project by covering the trench with a gently inclined floating plane, creating an accessible, continuous surface across the site.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Mar. 2026
-
More early ballots have so far been cast in Republican-leaning districts where voters may be more inclined to vote against the redistricting measure, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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