tend
tend
Intransitive VerbTransitive Verb
past: tendedpp: tendeding: tending
The transitive sense evokes a feeling of nurturing and stewardship, implying a dedicated, ongoing effort to maintain the health or well-being of a living thing. It is frequently used in the context of gardening or caregiving, where the focus is on attentive maintenance.
The intransitive sense describes a probabilistic inclination or a general pattern of behavior. It suggests a natural leaning or a statistical likelihood rather than a conscious choice, often used to describe habits, trends, or biological predispositions.
Meanings
Phrasal Verbs
tend to
be likely to behave in a particular way
Older computers tend to crash more often than newer models.
tend to
care for or look after someone or something
She spent her weekends tending to her grandmother's garden.