trend
Americannoun
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the general course or prevailing tendency; drift.
trends in the teaching of foreign languages; the trend of events.
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style or vogue.
the new trend in women's apparel.
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the general direction followed by a road, river, coastline, or the like.
verb (used without object)
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to have a general tendency, as events, conditions, etc.
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to tend to take a particular direction; extend in some direction indicated.
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to emerge as a popular trend; be currently popular.
words that have trended this year.
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Digital Technology. to be widely mentioned or discussed on the internet, especially in posts on social media websites.
news stories that are trending online.
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to veer or turn off in a specified direction, as a river, mountain range, etc..
The river trends toward the southeast.
noun
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general tendency or direction
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fashion; mode
verb
Related Words
See tendency.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of trend
First recorded before 1000; Middle English trenden “to turn, roll,” Old English trendan; akin to Old English trinde “ball,” Dutch trent “circumference,” Swedish trind “round;” see trindle, trundle
Explanation
A trend is what's hip or popular at a certain point in time. While a trend usually refers to a certain style in fashion or entertainment, there could be a trend toward warmer temperatures (if people are following trends associated with global warming). A trend simply reflects what seems to be going around at any given time. A trend can be in any area and doesn't only reflect fashion, pop culture and entertainment. There can also be a trend in the stock market to be bullish or bearish, depending on economic indicators, or a political trend reflecting a nation’s current mood. Some trends are fun, some fabulous, some appalling, but however long they last, you can be sure there will always be a new trend coming along to replace the old.
Vocabulary lists containing trend
The Scientific Method
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Word Generation Science - Introductory Chemistry Concepts
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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.
Two popular mutual funds in these categories, AQR Style Premia Alternative and LoCorr Market Trend, were up 9.9% and 13.1%, respectively.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
There were two other newsworthy events in the Montana delegation this week, allowing us to make this a Montana Trend Entry.
From Slate • Mar. 7, 2026
Trend forecasting data predicts a continued rise of tartan within fashion throughout 2026.
From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026
Trend Macrolytics observes in a note to clients:
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
Suing the rating agencies for the inaccuracy of their ratings, the Maine lawyers told them, would be like suing Motor Trend magazine for plugging a car that wound up crashing.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
