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
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 tending
Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
The religious men took up residence among the locals—people who spent their days tending cows and sheep, churning butter, weeding onions and turnips, scouring the forests for mushrooms, and chiseling sculptures from the local limestone.
—CBS News, 1 May 2026
And longtime gardeners know that having the right tools for the job is also key, whether tending to a vegetable patch, flower beds, or container gardens.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
For gardeners who have spent years tending beds and borders, the basics can feel like second nature.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
James Guillory / Imagn Images OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from the team’s Monday morning postmortem, tending to his wife, Emma, after the birth of their second child.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Taking care of business and tending to the parts of your life that need restructuring could bring peace of mind.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
With more viewers tending to ignore traditional commercials, advertisers are pushing for new alliances that weave their messages and products into programs.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Planting a tree or tending to a garden is a simple way for individuals to contribute to the climate fight, Chris Cerveny, a soil science and agronomy expert and co-founder of Just Good Soil, an agricultural company that focuses on regenerative gardening practices, told ABC News.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
Platonic best friends Juniper and Mo could be perfectly happy tending to their cottage, ignoring the call for adventure that has Mo restless every winter and Juniper worried about losing his handsome soulmate roommate.
—Literary Hub, 1 May 2026
The religious men took up residence among the locals—people who spent their days tending cows and sheep, churning butter, weeding onions and turnips, scouring the forests for mushrooms, and chiseling sculptures from the local limestone.
—CBS News, 1 May 2026
And longtime gardeners know that having the right tools for the job is also key, whether tending to a vegetable patch, flower beds, or container gardens.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2026
For gardeners who have spent years tending beds and borders, the basics can feel like second nature.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
James Guillory / Imagn Images OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was absent from the team’s Monday morning postmortem, tending to his wife, Emma, after the birth of their second child.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Taking care of business and tending to the parts of your life that need restructuring could bring peace of mind.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
With more viewers tending to ignore traditional commercials, advertisers are pushing for new alliances that weave their messages and products into programs.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Planting a tree or tending to a garden is a simple way for individuals to contribute to the climate fight, Chris Cerveny, a soil science and agronomy expert and co-founder of Just Good Soil, an agricultural company that focuses on regenerative gardening practices, told ABC News.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending
Adjective
-
Bathrooms, basements, crawl spaces, laundry rooms, areas around windows and HVAC systems are some of the most common mold-prone areas in a home.—
Ryan Brennan
May 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
An agency that shortcuts training is an agency prone to lethal errors.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gault said his clients are less inclined to add an outdoor kitchen when looking for a home, and prefer buying a property that already has one.—
John W. Bateman,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
-
Mario Diaz-Balart is one of a dwindling number of lawmakers who come from an era in which Democrats and Republicans cooperated more and were less inclined to engage in today’s approach of constant political warfare.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
