tend 1 (t?nd)intr.v. tend·ed, tend·ing, tends 1. To have a tendency: paint that tends toward bubbling and peeling over time.2. To be disposed or inclined: tends toward exaggeration.3. To move or extend in a certain direction: Our ship tended northward.[Middle English tenden, from Old French tendre, from Latin tendere; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]tend 2 (t?nd)v. tend·ed, tend·ing, tends v.tr.1. To have the care of; watch over; look after: tend a child.2. To manage the activities and transactions of; run: tend bar; tend a store in the owner’s absence.v.intr.1. To be an attendant or servant.2. To apply one’s attention; attend: no time to tend to my diary.[Middle English tenden, short for attenden, to wait on; see attend.]Synonyms: tend2, attend, mind, minister, watch These verbs mean to have the care or supervision of something: tended her plants; attends the sick; minded the neighbor’s children; ministered to flood victims; watched the house while the owners were away.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tend (t?nd) vb1. (when tr, takes an infinitive) to have a general disposition (to do something); be inclined: children tend to prefer sweets to meat. 2. (intr) to have or be an influence (towards a specific result); be conducive: the party atmosphere tends to hilarity. 3. (intr) to go or move (in a particular direction): to tend to the south. [C14: from Old French tendre, from Latin tendere to stretch]tend (t?nd) vb1. (tr) to care for: to tend wounded soldiers. 2. (when: intr, often foll by to) to attend (to): to tend to someone’s needs. 3. (tr) to handle or control: to tend a fire. 4. informal chiefly (often foll by: to) US and Canadian to pay attention[C14: variant of attend]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014tend1 (t?nd) v.i. 1. to be disposed or inclined in action, operation, or effect to do something: The particles tend to unite. 2. to be disposed toward an idea, emotion, way of thinking, etc. 3. to lead or conduce, as to some result or condition: measures tending to safer working conditions. 4. to be inclined to or have a tendency toward a particular quality, state, or degree: This wine tends toward the sweet side. 5. (of a course, road, etc.) to lead or be directed in a particular direction (usu. fol. by to, toward, etc.). [1300?50; Middle English