tend
verb (1)
\ ˈtend
\
\
tended;
tending;
tends
Definition of tend
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: to move, direct, or develop one's course in a particular direction
cannot tell where society is tending
tend
verb (2)
tended;
tending;
tends
Definition of tend (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to pay attention : apply oneself
tend to your own affairs tend to our correspondence
2
: to act as an attendant : serve
tended to his wife
1a
: to apply oneself to the care of : watch over
tended her sick father
b
: to have or take charge of as a caretaker or overseer
tend the sheep
d
: to manage the operations of : mind
tend the store tend the fire
2
: to stand by (something, such as a rope) in readiness to prevent mischance (such as fouling)
3
archaic
: to attend as a servant
Examples of tend in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
In a community there tends to be some diversity in what people believe. — Scientific American, "How Misinformation Spreads—and Why We Trust It," 3 Sep. 2019 African American participants tended to eat a diet high in meat and fats and low in fiber -- an average of 14g per day. — Anchorage Daily News, "Colon cancer in Alaska: Common and completely preventable," 3 Sep. 2019 In a larger field, there’s tends to be fair ground for all types of runners, those on the lead, just off the front runners, midpack, and also from further back. — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, "Racing! Congratulations to Bast for her Debutante win," 1 Sep. 2019 In South Korea, those workers tend to be middle-aged men. — Michael Schuman, New York Times, "Blocked in Business, South Korean Women Start Their Own," 30 Aug. 2019 In comparison, adult-use marijuana tends to be taxed. — Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, "What legalizing recreational marijuana would mean for Florida," 30 Aug. 2019 In the past two decades of currency union, recessions have tended to be synchronised (see chart). — The Economist, "Fears of a German recession are rising," 29 Aug. 2019 In Cameroon: Jollof Rice tends to be made with beef, and enjoyed with carrots and green beans. — Haleluya Hadero, Quartz Africa, "How Jollof rice became West Africa’s iconic dish and a point of banter between Africans," 23 Aug. 2019 In areas unaffected by hurricanes, meanwhile, docile colonies tended to dominate. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Hurricanes Are Making This Spider Species More Aggressive," 20 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tend
tend
verb
\ ˈtend
\
\
tended;
tending
Kids Definition of tend
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to take care of
She tends the garden.
2
: to pay attention
You should tend to business.
3
: to manage the operation of
Who's tending the store?
tend
verb
tended;
tending
Kids Definition of tend (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to be likely
She tends to sleep late.
2
: to move or turn in a certain direction
The road tends to the right.
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