TENDING Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

tending 1 of 3

adjective

as in prone

having a tendency to be or act in a certain way people tending toward daily exercise will significantly reduce their risk of cardiac arrest

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tending

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of tend

as in leaning

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tending

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of tend

as in supervising

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

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as in growing

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 cultivating

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 managing

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 tending

Verb

McCollum spent summers working cattle, branding steers and tending to his grandfather's ranch alongside his cousins. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Recent history, the Acton strategists noted, has shown GOP voters tending to migrate back to the party in the final days before an election. — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 While the robot will continue carrying bins, our road map includes many more tasks, from picking individual items and tending machines, to preparing parts for assembly and shipping, and eventually doing assembly work itself. — IEEE Spectrum, 19 Oct. 2026 Recent research confirms that biological changes linked to Alzheimer’s can begin as early as your late 50s (with more rare early onset cases tending to start in your 40s). — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 14 Oct. 2026 Season 11 of the show documented the new mom tending to infant Kayden in Croatia as the boy’s father, Nathan Gallager, worked 18-hour days on a nearby superyacht, the Akira One. — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026 Lead times may be shortening across the market, with smaller rentals often booking only a few weeks ahead and larger homes tending to attract reservations somewhat earlier. — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 For four months, the Napa grower spent four to five hours a day tending four giant pumpkin plants, watching their vines, nurturing their fruit and waiting to see just how big one of them might get. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026 If your heart needs soothing, go visit a grave in need of tending. — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tending

Adjective

Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers in an error-prone game.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
While parts of the Southwest are rocky with little vegetation and are naturally prone to flash flooding, the recent rains made flooding everywhere more likely.

— MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of prone

Verb

In the West, companies like to stay private a little longer, but Asian firms are leaning toward a more accelerated timeline, according to Lee, senior managing partner at Granite Asia.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
But a crop of Senate candidates in more conservative-leaning states like Iowa, Texas, Kansas and Ohio, and Democratic hopefuls in newly competitive House districts, have surged in polls and fundraising.

— Stephen Fowler, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of leaning

Verb

His daughter gradually took over supervising much of the team's management and became CEO in August 1998 after her father was elected commissioner.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Children under 12 must be accompanied by a supervising companion who is at least 14 years old.

— Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of supervising

Verb

The additional site will further strengthen the company’s manufacturing network in Colorado and provide additional capacity for its growing space and sensor systems business.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Anyone who has worked at a fast-growing company at the edge of technology knows that obligations, circumstances and products change daily.

— Daniel Kjellén, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of growing

Verb

The challenge is not racing to construct a synthetic copy but cultivating the capacity to recognize, interface with and leverage what has been present all along.

— Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Maintaining relationships with existing owners and cultivating enthusiasm among future buyers can be just as important.

— Chris Hardesty, AJC.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of cultivating

Verb

By contrast, recent restrictions or delays suggest a greater emphasis on managing relations with Beijing and avoiding unnecessary escalation.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
My experience includes managing campaigns, leading teams, and building relationships with community leaders.

— Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of managing

Verb

Jack Rollins, the producing titan who managed Mike Nichols, Elaine May and Woody Allen, imparted some wisdom after watching Crystal’s act.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
The third-quarter earnings season is gaining momentum, with investors closely watching corporate outlooks amid rising costs and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence spending.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of watching

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tenders

tending

tending (to)

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“Tending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tending. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tending

adjective

verb (1)

verb (2)

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