Meanings
tend1
present singular third person tends · participle present tending · participle past tended · past tended
- auxiliaryTo be likely, or probable to do something, or to have a certain habit or leaning.First known use mid-14th c.
It tends to snow here in winter.
4 more examples
They tend to go out on Saturdays.
I was tending to get up later and later after the breakup.
Difficult broken country extends almost to the coast between Swatow (Shant’ou) on the south and Hangchow on the north, and this succession of barriers has tended to cut off southeast coastal China from the main body of the country.
1961, Rhoads Murphey, “The Middle Kingdom: Splendid Isolation”, in An Introduction to Geography (Rand McNally Geography Series), Chicago: Rand McNally & Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 418, column 1She had found in her everything that could tend to make a farther connection between the families undesirable.
1811, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume III, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC - intransitiveTo contribute to or toward some outcome.
The Lords in 1722 declared that annexing such Clauses tends to the destruction of this government. And yet there are such bills every session and you pass them.
1812, William Cobbett, The Parliamentary History of England
tend2
present singular third person tends · participle present tending · participle past tended · past tended · alternative obsolete 'tend
- To look after (e.g. an ill person.)First known use early 14th c.
We need to tend to the garden, which has become a mess.
Synonyms: care for, minister to, nurse, to, take care of
- To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard.
Shepherds tend their flocks.
2 more examples
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.
1847, Ralph Waldo Emerson, ThrenodyMan selects only for his own good; Nature only for that of the being which she tends.
1859, Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859)Synonyms: guard, look after, watch
- To wait (upon), as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend.
Was he not companion with the riotous knights / That tend upon my father?
c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i] - obsoleteTo await; to expect.
Had I not. Four or five women once that tended me?
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii] - obsoleteTo 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.
1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, →OCLC; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, →OCLCSynonyms: attend to
- transitivenauticalTo manage (an anchored vessel) when the tide turns, to prevent it from entangling the cable when swinging.
tend3
present singular third person tends · participle present tending · participle past tended · past tended · alternative teend · alternative tende · alternative tind · alternative tine
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo look after (e.g. an ill person.)
verbTo accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard.
verbTo be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to.
More synonyms by meaning
verbhave a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tend · verb
- Latintendere“to stretch, stretch out, extend, spread out”
- Old Frenchtendre“to stretch, stretch out, hold forth, offer, tender”
- Middle Frenchtendre
- Middle Englishtenden
- Englishtend
From Middle English tenden, from Middle French tendre, from Old French tendre (“to stretch, stretch out, hold forth, offer, tender”), from Latin tendere (“to stretch, stretch out, extend, spread out”).
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →tend · verb
- Middle Englishtenden“to pay attention to”
- Englishtend
From Middle English tenden (“to pay attention to”), by apheresis of attenden (“to attend”) or entenden (“to intend”). More at attend and intend.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →tend · verb
- Proto-Germanic*tandijaną“to kindle”
- Old Englishtendan“to kindle, set on fire”
- Middle Englishtenden
- Englishtend
From Middle English tenden, from Old English tendan (“to kindle, set on fire”) (usually in compounds ātendan, fortendan, ontendan), from Proto-Germanic *tandijaną (“to kindle”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Danish tænde (“to kindle”), Swedish tända (“to ignite”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (tandjan, “to kindle”), Icelandic tendra (“to ignite”), German zünden (“to light, ignite, fire”). Related to tinder.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian клоня, насочен съм
- клоня (klonja)to be probable or likely
- насочен съм (nasočen săm)to be probable or likely
- грижа се (griža se)to look after
- очаквам (očakvam)to await, expect
- обслужвам (obslužvam)to wait upon, attend
Catalan tendir
- tendirto be probable or likely
Czech pást
- pástto accompany as an assistant or protector
Esperanto emi, varti
- emito be probable or likely
- vartito look after
- flegito look after
- zorgito look after
- prizorgito look after
Estonian kippuma
- kippumato be probable or likely
Finnish tarjota, olla tapana
- tarjotato make a tender of; to offer or tender
- olla tapanato be probable or likely
- pyrkiäto be probable or likely
- tahtoato be probable or likely
- tupatato be probable or likely
- yleensäto be probable or likely
- hoitaato look after
- pitää huoltato look after
- huolehtiato look after
- vartioidato accompany as an assistant or protector
- huolehtiato accompany as an assistant or protector
- odottaato await, expect
- varoato be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to
- olla varovainento be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to
- palvellato wait upon, attend
- sytyttääto kindle, ignite
French traiter de, avoir tendance à
- traiter deto make a tender of; to offer or tender
- avoir tendance àto be probable or likely
German tendieren zu, sorgen für
- tendieren zuto be probable or likely
- sorgen fürto look after
Greek τείνω, ρέπω
- τείνω (teíno)to be probable or likely
- ρέπω (répo)to be probable or likely
- φροντίζω (frontízo)to look after
Hebrew נָטָה
- נָטָהto be probable or likely
Hungarian szokott, ápol
- szokottto be probable or likely
- ápolto look after
- gondozto look after
Italian appaltare, tendere
- appaltareto make a tender of; to offer or tender
- tendereto be probable or likely
- essere probabileto be probable or likely
- propendereto be probable or likely
- avere cura dito look after
- accudireto look after
- curareto look after
- dedicarsito look after
- badareto accompany as an assistant or protector
- custodireto accompany as an assistant or protector
- prendersi curato accompany as an assistant or protector
- accudireto wait upon, attend
- vegliareto wait upon, attend
- preoccuparsito wait upon, attend
- infiammareto kindle, ignite
- accendereto kindle, ignite
Japanese めんどうをみる
- めんどうをみる (mendō o miru)to look after
Māori whāomoomo, whakaomoomo
- whāomoomoto look after
- whakaomoomoto look after
- taurimato look after
- nānāto look after
- rauhīto look after
- tūporeto look after
Portuguese tender, cuidar de
- tenderto be probable or likely
- cuidar deto look after
Romanian avea grijă
- avea grijăto look after
Russian предлага́ть, предложи́ть
- предлага́ть (predlagátʹ)to make a tender of; to offer or tender
- предложи́ть (predložítʹ)to make a tender of; to offer or tender
- име́ть тенде́нцию (imétʹ tɛndɛ́nciju)to be probable or likely
- проявля́ть тенде́нцию (projavljátʹ tɛndɛ́nciju)to be probable or likely
- име́ть скло́нность (imétʹ sklónnostʹ)to be probable or likely
- проявля́ть скло́нность (projavljátʹ sklónnostʹ)to be probable or likely
- склоня́ться (sklonjátʹsja)to be probable or likely
- клони́ться (klonítʹsja)to be probable or likely
- уха́живать (uxáživatʹ)to look after
- забо́титься (zabótitʹsja)to look after
- присма́тривать (prismátrivatʹ)to look after
- поджигать (podžigatʹ)to kindle, ignite
- поджечь (podžečʹ)to kindle, ignite
- разжигать (razžigatʹ)to kindle, ignite
- разжечь (razžečʹ)to kindle, ignite
Spanish ofrecer, tender
- ofrecerto make a tender of; to offer or tender
- tenderto be probable or likely
- propenderto be probable or likely
- estilarto be probable or likely
- cuidar deto look after
- ver porto look after
- velar porto look after
Swedish tendera
- tenderato be probable or likely
Ukrainian ма́ти тенде́нцію, схиля́тися
- ма́ти тенде́нцію (máty tendénciju)to be probable or likely
- схиля́тися (sxyljátysja)to be probable or likely
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tend
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tend
“tend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tend. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tend,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tend.
Source: tend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.