1
as in watched
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 grew
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cultivated
to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on
plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens
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4
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about
the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tended
Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Sir Alex Ferguson’s lengthy and wildly successful time in charge ensured any problems tended to reside away from the Old Trafford dugout.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Military and political leaders in earlier eras tended to speak openly of overthrow, deposition, invasion or interference in another state’s internal affairs.
—Andrew Latham, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Favorites also tended to be daughters and younger siblings.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
But pupae — which are the young ants still growing, often in a silk cocoon, being tended to by adult worker ants — can't yet move.
—Arundathi Nair, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
Military and political leaders in earlier eras tended to speak openly of overthrow, deposition, invasion or interference in another state’s internal affairs.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Carl Stralow learned earlier this season that his Keller squad tended to be up and down.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
The extensive waterworks also made way for sprawling sugarcane fields in the Everglades Agricultural Area, where farmers tended their crops with nutrient-rich fertilizers.
—Amy Green, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Sir Alex Ferguson’s lengthy and wildly successful time in charge ensured any problems tended to reside away from the Old Trafford dugout.
—Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Military and political leaders in earlier eras tended to speak openly of overthrow, deposition, invasion or interference in another state’s internal affairs.
—Andrew Latham, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Favorites also tended to be daughters and younger siblings.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
But pupae — which are the young ants still growing, often in a silk cocoon, being tended to by adult worker ants — can't yet move.
—Arundathi Nair, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
Military and political leaders in earlier eras tended to speak openly of overthrow, deposition, invasion or interference in another state’s internal affairs.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Chalamet wore a conservative suit and tie and humbly thanked his fellow nominees, a dramatic shift in tone for the actor, who has tended toward the grandiose of late.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Jan. 2026
Carl Stralow learned earlier this season that his Keller squad tended to be up and down.
—Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tended. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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