Synonyms of tends

tends 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of tend

as in leans

to show a liking or proneness (for something)

her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leans
• trends
• inclines
• goes
• runs
• indicates
• suggests
• gravitates
• points

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoids
• shuns
• shies (from or away from)

tends

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of tend

1

as in supervises

to take charge of especially on behalf of another

tend the store while I run an errand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervises
• watches
• oversees
• manages
• attends
• operates
• protects
• looks after
• runs
• minds
• controls
• sees to
• cares (for)
• governs
• conducts
• guards
• superintends
• sees after
• guides
• directs
• takes care of
• regulates
• patrols
• shields
• presides (over)
• administrates
• babies
• mothers
• safeguards
• stewards
• shepherds
• babysits
• chaperones

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• neglects
• forgets
• abandons
• passes over
• disregards

2

as in grows

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

• grows
• cultivates
• produces
• promotes
• plants
• crops
• raises
• cultures
• dresses
• rears
• propagates
• harvests
• breeds
• roots
• ripens
• gathers
• sows
• reaps
• quickens
• gleans
• germinates
• sprouts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• picks
• pulls (up)
• plucks
• digs
• cuts
• uproots
• mows
• extirpates
• hays

3

as in cultivates

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

• cultivates
• plants
• farms
• harvests
• tills
• crops
• reaps
• harrows
• hoes
• sharecrops

4

as in manages

to look after and make decisions about

the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• manages
• operates
• supervises
• oversees
• regulates
• runs
• handles
• conducts
• controls
• governs
• directs
• keeps
• guides
• administers
• protects
• carries on
• leads
• overlooks
• watches over
• presides (over)
• superintends
• administrates
• steers
• watches
• stewards
• minds
• cares (for)
• pilots
• guards
• safeguards
• micromanages
• stage-manages
• comanages
• codirects

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tends

Verb

Stuhlbarg, whose Vice President tends to cower in terror in the corner of the frame, becomes particularly evident as the movie’s comic secret weapon upon closer examination. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Speculation and reading the tea leaves within Chinese official announcement and state media reports also tends to intensify in the run-up to major Communist Party meetings. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

Everything Green is involved with and does tends to move the needle. — David Hookstead Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

But that method of measuring winds tends to produce falsely high readings, Lowry notes. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026

Others argue that because society tends to lump Latinos of different backgrounds together, workplace discrimination against and within the community is often missed. — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

What results tends to look like compliance rather than practice, and experienced counterparties can tell the difference. — Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Diaz, who tends to lean on history, underpins his metaphysical examinations with a discussion of social constructs. — Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2026

Hammer tends to deliver equally sensible advice, only in a more flamboyant and revved-up package. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026