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
New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2025
Everyone eventually fell asleep, though a hospital worker remembered seeing Daniel still tending to his mother in the early morning.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
With fall tending to bring in heavier news cycles, busier schedules, and endless notifications, carving out tech-free moments for yourself is a way to protect your peace.
—Essence, 8 Sep. 2025
Jong-Fast shoulders the duties of caring for her mother and her ailing stepfather—or of guiltily hiring others to do so—while also tending to her husband, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Francoise is tending to her little monster son.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Sometimes they’re found in a three-year-old’s muddy hands beside yours, in the peace of tending less but tending it well, and in the recognition that abundance doesn’t always mean more.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Wearing multiple hats every day can be exhausting, especially when it’s layered with the challenge of tending to personal needs, nurturing dreams, and healing old wounds.
—Dontaira Terrell, Refinery29, 27 Aug. 2025
The most vulnerable — starving children, people afflicted with leprosy, and pregnant women without the remotest possibility of healthcare — always needed tending to; that colonial reality was intact.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
View gallery - 4 images There are folks who get genuine pleasure from tending a colorful garden.
—New Atlas, 11 Sep. 2025
Everyone eventually fell asleep, though a hospital worker remembered seeing Daniel still tending to his mother in the early morning.
—Victoria Edel, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
With fall tending to bring in heavier news cycles, busier schedules, and endless notifications, carving out tech-free moments for yourself is a way to protect your peace.
—Essence, 8 Sep. 2025
Jong-Fast shoulders the duties of caring for her mother and her ailing stepfather—or of guiltily hiring others to do so—while also tending to her husband, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
—Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Francoise is tending to her little monster son.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Sometimes they’re found in a three-year-old’s muddy hands beside yours, in the peace of tending less but tending it well, and in the recognition that abundance doesn’t always mean more.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
Wearing multiple hats every day can be exhausting, especially when it’s layered with the challenge of tending to personal needs, nurturing dreams, and healing old wounds.
—Dontaira Terrell, Refinery29, 27 Aug. 2025
The most vulnerable — starving children, people afflicted with leprosy, and pregnant women without the remotest possibility of healthcare — always needed tending to; that colonial reality was intact.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending
Adjective
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But these figures only scratch the surface of Nepal’s deep economic problems, which include pervasive vulnerable employment – informal and insecure work that is prone to poor conditions and pay – and limited opportunities that constrain long-term productivity.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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The man found his way to the roof, nestled down into the prone position and peered through a scope at Kirk less than 150 yards away.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In a nutshell, people are easily irritated and inclined to get caught up in nasty power struggles because they’re entrenched in their own views.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
An inclined swivel mechanism creates a snug fit behind the ear, which helps preserve the low-frequency response and enhances acoustic performance.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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