tend 1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈtend How to pronounce tend (audio)
Definition of tendnext
as in to lean
to show a liking or proneness (for something) her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tend

2 of 2

verb (2)

1
as in to watch
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 to grow
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 to cultivate
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 to manage
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 tend
Verb
But apart from that, there’s the matter of just how awfully spirit-lifting her earth-angel mezzo-soprano tends to be, even when backing herself into dark corners before backing her way back out again. — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Aug. 2026 People tend to shop near home, Shereshewsky said, but exploring new territory can reveal hidden gems. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026 Both tend to offer better viewing experiences with higher-quality picture and sound than standard format theaters. — Kamaron McNair Lee, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 Green color and glycoalkaloids tend to increase together because light triggers both at once. — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tend
  1. lean
  2. watch
  3. grow
  4. cultivate
  5. manage
  6. supervise
  7. produce
  8. operate
Verb
  • Their approach hinged on leaning into Frazier’s deadpan tone and taking the concept more seriously.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Starbucks leaned into the flavor for 2026, bringing back its pecan lineup with the Pecan Cortado, Iced Pecan Crunch Latte and Pecan Crunch Latte.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of lean
Verb
  • To that end, here are the best rom-coms based on Shakespeare plays to watch—or rewatch—now.
    — Jessica Barrett, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2026
  • If that were to happen, the SEC's next move is the one to watch.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of watch
Verb
  • As the affiliate industry grows, particularly for fashion brands and beauty brands which increasingly route a growing share of sales through such links, the answer is getting harder to parse.
    — Tom Matsuda, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026
  • According to the memo, Google's electric demand is expected to grow faster than Entergy can add new electricity generation.
    — Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of grow
Verb
  • For leaders, cultivating an environment where people actively seek out and fill these gaps is what separates adaptive companies from stagnant ones.
    — Stacy L. Hambleton, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • For years, the British American brothers cultivated the image that laws did not apply to them even as legal troubles mounted in the UK, Romania and the US.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of cultivate
Verb
  • With much of the country's economy geared toward its lucrative and well-managed fishing industry, fishing rights have been a talking point in the run-up to the referendum.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Rebecca Sanders, a national safety practice leader at the transportation consulting firm Fehr & Peers, led a 2019 report at Arizona State University and Toole Design looking at various strategies used across the country to manage speed.
    — Jeff McMurray, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • While not directly involved in controlling the system, humans give Spike rules of engagement all the while, supervising the entire system during operation.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Weerasethakul supervised the 4K restorations, which include remastered and remixed audio and new key art for each film.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Finite’s founder, Amy Gardner, has producing credits on the likes of And Then Come the Nightjars, La Bohème, Honeytrap, and My House, and worked on the stage productions of Nuclear Children and The Joy of Text.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Giske added that previous trips to Haugesund had produced partnerships the company had not originally anticipated.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of produce
Verb
  • Some help surgeons operate with greater precision, while others disinfect rooms, transport supplies, assist patients during rehabilitation, or provide comfort to people who are distressed.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Eight other reservoirs operated by the Bureau of Reclamation recently recorded the lowest levels in at least the last 30 years.
    — Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of operate

Browse Nearby Words

tenants
tend
tended
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tend. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All