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Synonyms

attend

American  
[uh-tend] / əˈtɛnd /

verb (used with object)

  1. to be present at.

    to attend a lecture; to attend church.

  2. to go with as a concomitant or result; accompany.

    Fever may attend a cold. Success attended her hard work.

  3. to take care of; minister to; devote one's services to.

    The nurse attended the patient daily.

  4. to wait upon; accompany as a companion or servant.

    The retainers attended their lord.

  5. to take charge of; watch over; look after; tend; guard.

    to attend one's health.

  6. to listen to; give heed to.

  7. Archaic. to wait for; expect.


verb (used without object)

  1. to take care or charge.

    to attend to a sick person.

  2. to apply oneself.

    to attend to one's work.

  3. to pay attention; listen or watch attentively; direct one's thought; pay heed.

    to attend to a speaker.

  4. to be present.

    She is a member but does not attend regularly.

  5. to be present and ready to give service; wait (usually followed by on orupon ).

    to attend upon the Queen.

  6. to follow; be consequent (usually followed by on orupon ).

  7. Obsolete. to wait.

attend British  
/ əˈtɛnd /

verb

  1. to be present at (an event, meeting, etc)

  2. to give care; minister

  3. to pay attention; listen

  4. (tr; often passive) to accompany or follow

    a high temperature attended by a severe cough

  5. (intr; foll by on or upon) to follow as a consequence (of)

  6. to devote one's time; apply oneself

    to attend to the garden

  7. (tr) to escort or accompany

  8. (intr; foll by on or upon) to wait (on); serve; provide for the needs (of)

    to attend on a guest

  9. archaic (tr) to wait for; expect

  10. obsolete (intr) to delay

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See accompany.

Other Word Forms

  • attender noun
  • attendingly adverb
  • well-attended adjective

Etymology

Origin of attend

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English atenden, from Anglo-French, Old French atendre, from Latin attendere “to bend to, notice,” from at- at- + tendere “to stretch, extend, proceed”; tend 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Insisting that it was his health that had stopped him from coming to Paris, Ramadan said if he had not wanted to attend, he would have not have assembled a legal team.

From BBC

The DfE says it has made "real progress", with 225,000 more children attending school almost every day, but that it knows there is more to do for children with SEND.

From BBC

Several thousand people were expected to attend the funeral, which is open to the public.

From Barron's

As a child in New Orleans, Mr. Lemann never attended a bar mitzvah or bris; he heard neither Yiddish nor Hebrew.

From The Wall Street Journal

Speaking to journalists in Finland, where he is attending a security summit, Sir Keir Starmer speculation McSweeney's account could be untrue and the government was involved in a cover-up was wrong.

From BBC