trend 1 of 2

1
as in tide
a prevailing or general movement or inclination according to the survey, there's a growing trend for companies to run their own day-care centers for the benefit of employees

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2

trend

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to tend
to show a liking or proneness (for something) during the winter our school system trends toward canceling school at the drop of a hat—or at least a snowflake

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course the river trends east, then west again, forming an oxbow

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trend different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of trend are current, drift, tendency, and tenor. While all these words mean "movement in a particular direction," trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

the long-term trend of the stock market is upward

When can current be used instead of trend?

In some situations, the words current and trend are roughly equivalent. However, current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.

an encounter that changed the current of my life

When is drift a more appropriate choice than trend?

The synonyms drift and trend are sometimes interchangeable, but drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces, or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse.

the drift of the population away from large cities
got the drift of her argument

When might tendency be a better fit than trend?

The words tendency and trend are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.

a general tendency toward inflation

When is it sensible to use tenor instead of trend?

The meanings of tenor and trend largely overlap; however, tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course.

the tenor of the times

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trend
Noun
Like Lee, Shoket has had a unique window into the style and beauty trends shaping the way women feel about themselves. Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025 This October’s Prime Big Deals Day event has hundreds of beauty products that encompass all of the season’s latest trends. Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
So while Domi’s stock is trending upwards for now, the first few games of the regular season could lead to a change. Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. John Tufts, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trend
Noun
  • Lloyd showed off his athleticism from there, returning the pick 99 yards for a turn-the-tide touchdown.
    The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Fall in South Florida is not marked by changing leaves, but by rising tides.
    Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Two months before Twilight kicked off the glittery vampire craze, Alan Ball’s True Blood had already put an original, sexy spin on the jugular-draining genre.
    Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The low-fat craze of the '80s and '90s left sales of similar deli meats like bologna dropping year after year, according to the blog Food Republic.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Nivala also says that once consensus is secured, things tend to move faster because everyone is aligned.
    Adam Gale, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Families in small and rural communities tend to rely more heavily on public education.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Here the set becomes a comedy generator, a set of curving sides that Reeves can lean against and slide bonelessly down.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Roll up each triangle, starting at wide end, and curve edges slightly to form a crescent shape.
    Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While the New York Times has significantly cut back on its unsigned editorial board pieces, the Post appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Researchers found that the receivers of the dance weren’t just following the direction and distance indicated by the waggle dance.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • These latests features are designed for enterprises who want to integrate their AI technology with either existing Salesforce data or even their own data.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The latests deaths included three residents of long-term care facilities in Dallas, as well as a Balch Springs man in his 20s and a Dallas man in his 60s.
    Dana Branham, Dallas News, 30 Apr. 2020
Verb
  • Home Depot’s Headliners Big-box retailers are leaning into the trend.
    Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Lady Gaga, Mayhem Gaga leaned hard into her own history on Mayhem, a record many considered a return to her dance-pop roots.
    Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This is presumably a reference to Perkins' status as a closeted gay man, something Hitchcock likely knew, and not because Perkins had homicidal tendencies.
    JR Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • They were supervised, or not supervised, or supervised in such a way that their worst tendencies were encouraged instead of discouraged.
    Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trend. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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