Adjacent Words

Tend definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TEND, v.t. [contracted from attend, L. attendo; ad and tendo, to stretch.]
1. To watch; to guard; to accompany as an assistant or protector.
And flaming ministers to watch and tend
Their earthly charge--
There is a pleasure in that simplicity, in beholding princes tending their flocks.
2. To hold and take care of; as, to tend a child.
3. To be attentive to.
Unsuck'd of lamb or kid that tend their play.
TEND, v.t. [L. tendo; teneo.]
1. To move in a certain direction.
Having overheard two gentlemen tending towards that sight--
Here Dardanus was born, and hither tends.
2. To be directed to any end or purpose; to aim at; to have or give a leaning.
The laws of our religion tend to the universal happiness of mankind.
3. To contribute. Our petitions, if granted, might tend to our destruction.
4. [for attend.] To attend; to wait as attendants or servants.
He tends upon my father. [Colloquial.]
5. To attend as something inseparable. [Not in use.]
6. To wait; to expect. [Not in use.]
7. To swing round an anchor, as a ship.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined; "She tends to be nervous before her lectures"; "These dresses run small"; "He inclined to corpulence" [syn: tend, be given, lean, incline, run]
2: have care of or look after; "She tends to the children"
3: manage or run; "tend a store"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, short for attenden to attend Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. archaic listen 2. to pay attention ; apply oneself <tend to your own affairs> <tend to our correspondence> 3. to act as an attendant ; serve <tended to his wife> 4. obsolete await transitive verb 1. archaic to attend as a servant 2. a. 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> c. cultivate, foster d. to manage the operations of ; mind <tend the store> <tend the fire> 3. to stand by (as a rope) in readiness to prevent mischance (as fouling) II. intransitive verb Etymology: Middle English, to stretch, direct oneself, from Anglo-French tendre — more at tender Date: 14th century 1. to move, direct, or develop one's course in a particular direction <cannot tell where society is tending> 2. to exhibit an inclination or tendency ; conduce <tends to be optimistic>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v.intr. 1 (usu. foll. by to) be apt or inclined (tends to lose his temper). 2 serve, conduce. 3 be moving; be directed; hold a course (tends in our direction; tends downwards; tends to the same conclusion). Etymology: ME f. OF tendre stretch f. L tendere tens- or tent- 2. v. 1 tr. take care of, look after (a person esp. an invalid, animals esp. sheep, a machine). 2 intr. (foll. by on, upon) wait on. 3 intr. (foll. by to) esp. US give attention to. Derivatives: tendance n. archaic. Etymology: ME f. ATTEND

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tend Tend, v. t. [See Tender to offer.] (O. Eng. Law) To make a tender of; to offer or tender. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tend Tend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tended; p. pr. & vb. n. Tending.] [Aphetic form of attend. See Attend, Tend to move, and cf. Tender one that tends or attends.] 1. To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard; as, shepherds tend their flocks. --Shak. And flaming ministers to watch and tend Their earthly charge. --Milton. There 's not a sparrow or a wren, There 's not a blade of autumn grain, Which the four seasons do not tend And tides of life and increase lend. --Emerson. 2. To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to. Being to descend A ladder much in height, I did not tend My way well down. --Chapman. To tend a vessel (Naut.), to manage an anchored vessel when the tide turns, so that in swinging she shall not entangle the cable.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tend Tend, v. i. 1. To wait, as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend; -- with on or upon. Was he not companion with the riotous knights That tend upon my father? --Shak. 2. [F. attendre.] To await; to expect. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tend Tend, v. i. [F. tendre, L. tendere, tensum and tentum, to stretch, extend, direct one's course, tend; akin to Gr. ? to stretch, Skr. tan. See Thin, and cf. Tend to attend, Contend, Intense, Ostensible, Portent, Tempt, Tender to offer, Tense, a.] 1. To move in a certain direction; -- usually with to or towards. Two gentlemen tending towards that sight. --Sir H. Wotton. Thus will this latter, as the former world, Still tend from bad to worse. --Milton. The clouds above me to the white Alps tend. --Byron. 2. To be directed, as to any end, object, or purpose; to aim; to have or give a leaning; to exert activity or influence; to serve as a means; to contribute; as, our petitions, if granted, might tend to our destruction. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. --Prov. xxi. 5. The laws of our religion tend to the universal happiness of mankind. --Tillotson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tends, tending, tended) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If something tends to happen, it usually happens or it often happens. A problem for manufacturers is that lighter cars tend to be noisy... VERB: V to-inf 2. If you tend towards a particular characteristic, you often display that characteristic. Artistic and intellectual people tend towards left-wing views. VERB: V towards n, also V to n 3. You can say that you tend to think something when you want to give your opinion, but do not want it to seem too forceful or definite. I tend to think that members of parliament by and large do a good job. VERB: V to-inf [vagueness] 4. If you tend someone or something, you do what is necessary to keep them in a good condition or to improve their condition. (FORMAL) For years he tended her in her painful illness... = look after VERB: V n 5. If you tend to someone or something, you pay attention to them and deal with their problems and needs. In our culture, girls are brought up to tend to the needs of others... = attend VERB: V to n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Watch, guard, keep, protect, attend, accompany, nurse, take care of, wait on, look after. 2. Attend to, be attentive to, note carefully, mind. II. v. n. 1. Attend, wait, serve, be attendant. 2. Incline, lean, verge, trend, make. 3. Be directed, aim, exert influence. 4. Conduce, contribute, lead. 5. Tend to, attend, mind.

Moby Thesaurus

administer to, aim, animadvert, attend, attend on, attend to, baby-sit, bear, bed, bed down, bend to, bias, break, bridle, brush, care for, cater to, chaperon, cherish, chore, conduce, conserve, contribute, cultivate, curry, currycomb, dance attendance upon, defend, descend, dispose, do for, do service to, drench, dress, drop, drudge, favor, feed, fodder, foster, gentle, go, gravitate, groom, guard, handle, harness, have a tendency, head, heed, help, hitch, hold a heading, incline, keep watch over, labor, lackey, lead, lean, litter, look, look after, look out for, look to, maid, manage, mark, matronize, milk, mind, minister, minister to, mother, note, notice, nurse, nurture, observe, pander to, plunge, point, point to, precipitate, preserve, protect, protege, provide for, redound to, regard, remark, ride herd on, rub down, saddle, safeguard, see, see after, see to, serve, set, set toward, settle, shepherd, shield, show a tendency, sink, steer, subside, supervise, support, take care of, take charge of, take note, take notice, tame, tend to go, train, trend, turn, upon, valet, verge, view, wait, wait on, warp, watch, watch out for, watch over, water, work, work for, work toward, yoke