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
ABC News, 3 June 2026
That's the reverse of recent elections, which saw more Democrats voting by mail and Republicans tending to vote in person on Election Day.
—Marisa Lagos, NPR, 3 June 2026
Cusumano tells us about How to Feed a Dictator, an intriguing documentary about chefs tasked with tending to the alimentary needs of all-powerful political leaders.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Harvesting Watermelons After months of growing and tending to your watermelon plants, harvest time is always exciting!
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
There’s a lot of tending required.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
Further conversations with master gardeners tending the CAP garden plot revealed some positive changes in the soil’s health, particularly in terms of microbial activity.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Trump also posted an an image that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ tending to a sick man.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 26 May 2026
Moving materials between workstations, restocking inventory in busy warehouses, tending machines built for human interaction, and conducting inspections in dangerous and confined spaces aren’t glamorous use cases.
—Robert Ambrose, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Verb
Tackling a personal to-do list alongside others is a double-duty activity that combines the satisfaction of tending to necessary chores with the no less vital work of nurturing relationships.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
That's the reverse of recent elections, which saw more Democrats voting by mail and Republicans tending to vote in person on Election Day.
—Marisa Lagos, NPR, 3 June 2026
Cusumano tells us about How to Feed a Dictator, an intriguing documentary about chefs tasked with tending to the alimentary needs of all-powerful political leaders.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Harvesting Watermelons After months of growing and tending to your watermelon plants, harvest time is always exciting!
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
There’s a lot of tending required.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
Further conversations with master gardeners tending the CAP garden plot revealed some positive changes in the soil’s health, particularly in terms of microbial activity.
—Special To The Denver Post, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Trump also posted an an image that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ tending to a sick man.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 26 May 2026
Moving materials between workstations, restocking inventory in busy warehouses, tending machines built for human interaction, and conducting inspections in dangerous and confined spaces aren’t glamorous use cases.
—Robert Ambrose, Fortune, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending
Adjective
-
Shading plants from the hot afternoon sun can be an option in areas prone to high heat.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
Those with dry, congestion-prone skin should avoid it, as thick overnight layers can quickly convert from soothing to suffocating.—
Tatiana Dias,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Just a forehand shot away from the red clay courts, Auteuil is an authentic pocket of Paris that’s far from the tourist throngs—and the stereotypes sometimes saddled on it by east-leaning Parisians.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
According to right-leaning economists, the Fed and other central banks enable government growth.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead of acting as intermediaries, humans focus on defining policies, supervising system behavior and handling exceptions.—
Krupesh Bhat,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
The defendant, 36, who has not been publicly identified, is accused of assaulting children while supervising them in bathrooms, during lunch breaks and in after-school care between August 2024 and April 2025.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The free-speech cases in Florida, Tennessee and Indiana highlight a growing debate surrounding the First Amendment, political discourse and social media.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
According to the statement, Xcel has identified resource adequacy as a growing concern for several years and has proposed multiple solutions, including a near-term procurement plan designed to add 3,800 megawatts of new generation capacity.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Kokopeli’s South Park characters operate similarly, these widely recognizable models becoming a flexible tool for cultivating and capturing the nostalgic interest of the artist’s viewers.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
The storytelling is as important as the mise-en-scène—the bar is named for the poet-boxer Arthur Cravan, who spent his life cultivating a mysterious, unconventional persona.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
White can point to patterns and minutes restrictions, and there is a reasonable basketball explanation for managing Boston's workload.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
The Spurs’ defense was incredibly connected, aggressively rotating on and off SGA doubles and managing not to get exposed on the back end.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Democratic voters are inclined to be skeptical, and to believe rumors that the group is funded by the same Israeli government that wanted the US to bomb Iran.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
1 June 2026
-
Perhaps there's a fussy Phillies fan in footy pajamas who balks at the twice-daily ritual but might be more inclined to brush because Harper does it, as well.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The Scolding, 1965, a claustrophobic portrait of jaundiced and blotchy figures watching a contretemps, has some of the unsettling atmosphere of James Ensor’s 1890 canvas The Intrigue, in which a clutch of masked figures presses in on the viewer.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Undoubtedly Oslo’s most attractive contemporary hangout for summer, watching color-shifting cloudscapes and islands blur like a Munch canvas from the rooftop terrace.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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