Synonyms of tending

tending 1 of 3

adjective

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

• prone
• inclined
• willing
• apt
• choosing
• preferring
• liable
• given
• minded
• disposed
• likely
• predisposed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unwilling
• averse
• loath
• indisposed
• disinclined

tending

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of tend

as in leaning

to show a liking or proneness (for something)

her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leaning
• inclining
• going
• running
• trending
• pointing
• gravitating
• suggesting
• indicating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shunning
• shying (from or away from)

tending

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of tend

1

as in supervising

to take charge of especially on behalf of another

tend the store while I run an errand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervising
• watching
• overseeing
• managing
• attending
• guarding
• superintending
• protecting
• controlling
• operating
• minding
• running
• guiding
• looking after
• conducting
• governing
• regulating
• seeing to
• caring (for)
• taking care of
• directing
• patrolling
• seeing after
• safeguarding
• shielding
• administrating
• presiding (over)
• shepherding
• stewarding
• babying
• babysitting
• mothering
• chaperoning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• neglecting
• forgetting
• abandoning
• disregarding
• passing over

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

• growing
• cultivating
• producing
• planting
• promoting
• harvesting
• raising
• cropping
• rearing
• dressing
• breeding
• propagating
• culturing
• sowing
• sprouting
• gathering
• ripening
• rooting
• reaping
• quickening
• germinating
• gleaning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• killing
• picking
• digging
• plucking
• pulling (up)
• cutting
• uprooting
• mowing
• extirpating
• haying

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

• cultivating
• planting
• farming
• harvesting
• tilling
• cropping
• reaping
• hoeing
• harrowing
• sharecropping

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

• supervising
• managing
• overseeing
• operating
• controlling
• regulating
• handling
• conducting
• running
• governing
• keeping
• directing
• guiding
• administering
• superintending
• protecting
• administrating
• overlooking
• watching
• stewarding
• presiding (over)
• carrying on
• leading
• watching over
• guarding
• steering
• minding
• safeguarding
• piloting
• caring (for)
• micromanaging
• stage-managing
• codirecting
• comanaging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tending

Verb

How about a nice pair of casual slacks to wear while tending to your flowerbeds? — Scott Cohn, CNBC, 10 July 2026

The work rests between the porch and the stoop and shows two women tending to their residence. — Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

During this transit, there is collective satisfaction in streamlining processes, improving routines and tending to our physical well-being. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

In Bolton, Mississippi, a tragedy unfolded on June 27, when 83-year-old Irene Van Egmond died of heat exposure while tending a flower bed, officials said. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 July 2026

The ambulance flipped over, ejecting paramedic Ashley Moore, who was tending a patient in the back of the vehicle, officials said. — Mark Price july 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026

For those on the hunt for capris that are ideal for outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, or tending to your garden, look no further than these stylish cargo ones. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

Don’t allow smoking near your garden, and wash your hands or glove them before tending tomatoes. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 July 2026

Tyrrell spent his childhood in the Carrizo Mountains, tending the family’s Navajo-Churro sheep, learning to card and spin their wool. — Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 4 July 2026