tend (1)EnglishOxford American Thesaurustend1 verb 1 I tend to get very involved in my work: be inclined, be apt, be disposed, be prone, be liable, have/show a tendency, be likely, have a propensity. 2 younger voters tended toward the tabloid press: incline, lean, swing, veer, gravitate, be drawn, move; favor; show a preference for, be biased; North American trend.