tend 1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈtend How to pronounce tend (audio)
Definition of tendnext
as in to lean
to show a liking or proneness (for something) her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tend

2 of 2

verb (2)

1
as in to watch
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 to grow
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 to cultivate
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 to manage
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

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 tend
Verb
Older adults tend to abandon treatment because of these effects. — Liz Seegert, Scientific American, 19 July 2026 Hanania argues that populist regimes tend to govern poorly regardless of ideology. — Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026 Correlation does not imply causation, but World Cup years have tended to throw up memorable Tours de France in the 21st century. — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 19 July 2026 For collectors, provenance, and limited production tend to be the winning trifecta—and the formula that helped send Ferrari’s 250 GTO ever higher into the market stratosphere. — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tend
  1. lean
  2. watch
  3. grow
  4. cultivate
  5. manage
  6. supervise
  7. produce
  8. operate
Verb
  • And though Chiles has been disappointing so far, there’s still some potential there, especially if Kelly figures out a way to lean into his strengths.
    — Antonio Morales, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Malibu Named after Olympic surfing champion Duke Kahanamoku, this classic Malibu spot leans Hawaiian and East Asian.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 22 July 2026
Definition of lean
Verb
  • The shattered standing forlornly by the podium at the end of a draining tournament, hearts broken, bodies exhausted, having to watch as the opposition receive the reward that England were agonisingly close to.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • Infantino attended the United States-Belgium match in Seattle that day before watching Switzerland face Colombia in Vancouver the following day.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
Definition of watch
Verb
  • That dividing line is a growing source of concern for the town’s residents, whose economy largely depends on tourism and agriculture.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
  • The award reinforced the engine’s role in the program while reflecting growing demand for compact propulsion systems across the defense sector.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026
Definition of grow
Verb
  • In these dark times, our collective joy and love needs to be documented, embraced and cultivated.
    — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
  • Mallorca cultivated a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes and sweeping sea views that encouraged us to slow down and truly unwind.
    — Kasey Busiel, Vogue, 17 July 2026
Definition of cultivate
Verb
  • For more advice on how to manage awkward conversations at family parties, click here.
    — Malaka Gharib, NPR, 18 July 2026
  • Joe McCarthy carried the ball strongly and Josh van der Flier went close before McCarthy managed to drive over the line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • Coaches are expected to teach skills, manage parents, monitor safety, build culture, communicate constantly, supervise travel, run offseason activities and win.
    — Timothy Baghurst, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
  • Diego Amson, Brad Tiemann and Joe Awgul serve as co-exec producers, Margaret Morales is supervising producer and Benjamin Hurvitz and Melissa Tallerine exec produce for MTV.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 July 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Bertha is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 1 to 4 inches with isolated higher totals to 6 inches through Thursday along the central to the western Gulf Coast from western Florida to southern Texas.
    — MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • The sheriff's office said ballistic testing performed with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later produced forensic evidence linking the two murders.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of produce
Verb
  • The aircraft is operated by the private charter division of Qatar Airways, a World Cup sponsor.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which operates the hub off Russia’s Black Sea coast, said two tankers had been hit and that oil loading has been stopped.
    — Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
Definition of operate

Browse Nearby Words

tenants
tend
tended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tend. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tend

Nglish: Translation of tend for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All