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Definition of tend verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tend

verb
 
/tend/
 
/tend/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they tend
 
/tend/
 
/tend/
he / she / it tends
 
/tendz/
 
/tendz/
past simple tended
 
/ˈtendɪd/
 
/ˈtendɪd/
past participle tended
 
/ˈtendɪd/
 
/ˈtendɪd/
-ing form tending
 
/ˈtendɪŋ/
 
/ˈtendɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive] tend to do something to be likely to do something or to happen in a particular way because this is what often or usually happens
    • Women tend to live longer than men.
    • People tend to be happier if they are in a long-term relationship.
    • When I'm tired, I tend to make mistakes.
    • It tends to get very cold here in the winter.
    • People tend to think that the problem will never affect them.
    • I tend to agree with many of the points you make.
    • I tend to focus on dance, but acting and singing are equally important to me.
    • Large class size will tend to increase the use of the lecture.
    Language Bank generallygenerallyWays of saying ‘in general’
      • Women generally earn less than men.
      • Generally speaking, jobs traditionally done by women are paid at a lower rate than those traditionally done by men.
      • In general, women do not earn as much as men.
      • By and large, women remain in the lower-paid jobs in the labour market
      • Certain jobs, like nursing and cleaning, are still mainly carried out by women.
      • Senior management posts are predominantly held by men.
      • Most senior management posts tend to be held by men.
      • Women are, for the most part, still paid less than men.
      • Economic and social factors are, to a large extent, responsible for women being concentrated in low-paid jobs.
  2. [intransitive] tend (to/towards something) to take a particular direction or often have a particular quality
    • His views tend towards the extreme.
    • Prices have tended downwards over recent years.
  3. [transitive, intransitive] to care for somebody/something
    • tend somebody/something a shepherd tending his sheep
    • Doctors and nurses tended the injured.
    • well-tended gardens
    • tend to somebody/something Ambulance crews were tending to the injured.
    Extra Examples
    • They helped the farmers tend their cattle.
    • She lovingly tended her garden.
    • He tended to her every need.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • carefully
    • lovingly
    preposition
    • to
    phrases
    • well-tended
    See full entry
  4. [transitive] tend something (North American English) to serve customers in a store, bar, etc.
    • He had a job tending bar in San Francisco.
  5. Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Middle English (in the sense ‘move or be inclined to move in a certain direction’): from Old French tendre ‘stretch, tend’, from Latin tendere.senses 3 to 4 Middle English: shortening of attend.
See tend in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tend in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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noun
 
 
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