TENDS Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

tends 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of tend

as in leans

to show a liking or proneness (for something) her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tends

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of tend

as in supervises

to take charge of especially on behalf of another tend the store while I run an errand

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grows

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cultivates

to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens

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as in manages

to look after and make decisions about the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone

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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 tends

Verb

But the form tends to be a source of confusion and administrative burden, according to Shoemaker DeMio. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026 Bernstein noted that the third quarter tends to be the smallest for luxury in China, as spending tends to be concentrated around key holidays or shopping events. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026 Historically, the demand for gasoline tends to decrease, which in turn brings down the price, during this time of the year. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Poor rest tends to breed resentment, while deeper sleep can strengthen a partnership. — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Like most hotels in this part of Maine, Inn at Peaks Island tends to be more about the scenery than the actual accommodations. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026 An analyst who can check something in a minute will check it, and then check the thing the first answer suggested, and the useful finding tends to turn up two or three steps in. — David Zwick, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Creativity tends to behave better when it’s allowed to have a little fun. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 Sep. 2026 There’s a reason why bipartisanship tends to plummet before elections. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tends

Verb

Ask an American what a wellness vacation involves, and the answer leans toward cucumber water and a mud wrap.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Primary suite opens to garden The primary bedroom leans into indoor-outdoor living.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of leans

Verb

The State Board of Education supervises public education in Michigan and appoints the state superintendent.

— Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026
The executive also coordinates and supervises county departments and is responsible for submitting an annual balanced budget to the Legislature.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of supervises

Verb

Naegleria fowleri grows best at higher temperatures up to 115°F, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Things get spicy when Lowen grows closer to the novelist's husband (Josh Hartnett) and discovers dark bits about Verity's past.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of grows

Verb

To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
In 1840, shade-loving Croomia, which cultivates flowers on the underside of its leaves, was included as a native species.

— Candace Barone, Florida Times-Union, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivates

Verb

Unbeknownst to them, a mysterious entity watches from high above with Godlike judgment.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
Zhang Jianxin watches shoppers fist-bump with a shiny, gyrating, humanoid robot at his showroom in China’s southern city of Guangzhou.

— Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of watches

Verb

The Texatron produces this powerful field dynamically during the pulse itself, avoiding the need for massive static coils.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Farmers are reluctant to plant John Boelts grows vegetables, melons, durum wheat and other crops in Yuma, Arizona — a region that produces about 90% of leafy greens eaten in North America during the winter.

— Wufei Yu, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of produces

Verb

Standing at two hours and 30 minutes, along with a 15-minute intermission, the narrative plants you in the middle of a world of ironies.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
At a five-acre research plot in Clarendon, Texas, the company has been studying roughly 500 cotton varieties, collecting field imagery and genomic information to determine which plants merit further breeding.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026