tending 1 of 3

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tending

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of tend
1
2
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

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
Verb
The trailer for With Love, Meghan was released two weeks ahead of the show's premiere and features the Duchess performing a number of activities from tending to a beehive to arranging flowers at a shop and hosting a mix of friends and celebrity guests. Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 The trailer for With Love, Meghan was released two weeks ahead of the show's premiere and features the Duchess performing a number of activities from tending to a beehive to arranging flowers at a shop and hosting a mix of friends and celebrity guests. Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 The trailer for With Love, Meghan was released two weeks ahead of the show's premiere and features the Duchess performing a number of activities from tending to a beehive to arranging flowers at a shop and hosting a mix of friends and celebrity guests. Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 The trailer for With Love, Meghan was released two weeks ahead of the show's premiere and features the Duchess performing a number of activities from tending to a beehive to arranging flowers at a shop and hosting a mix of friends and celebrity guests. Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 Three nurses and three therapists will spend the camp week with the kids, tending to physical and emotional needs. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024 Three nurses and three therapists will spend the camp week with the kids, tending to physical and emotional needs. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024 All throughout the year, Sardinian villagers work together in cooperatives, tending their vineyards and olive orchards and raising pigs for ham and salami. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024 Three nurses and three therapists will spend the camp week with the kids, tending to physical and emotional needs. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending
Adjective
  • Each had played an iconic housewife, although Molly stood in fascinating contrast with Lucy Ricardo: the former was a fixer, the latter a firecracker, prone to fits of mischievous rage, then spanked into submission by her bandleader husband.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
  • And someone who leaves a job after only a year or two might be especially prone to overlook a modest balance − which, thanks to the magic of tax-free investment growth, eventually turns into a big balance.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • The reason is that employees who are inclined to violate a nondisclosure agreement are also inclined to violate a noncompete.
    Sam Peak, Sun Sentinel, 1 June 2025
  • In her view, Gen Z grads are less inclined to assertively chase opportunities — including taking jobs that aren’t necessarily their dream roles.
    Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 28 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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