attend
Americanverb (used with object)
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attends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attended,
past participle, past
-
attending
present participle
-
to be present at.
to attend a lecture; to attend church.
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to go with as a concomitant or result; accompany.
Fever may attend a cold. Success attended her hard work.
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to take care of; minister to; devote one's services to.
The nurse attended the patient daily.
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to wait upon; accompany as a companion or servant.
The retainers attended their lord.
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to take charge of; watch over; look after; tend; guard.
to attend one's health.
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to listen to; give heed to.
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Archaic. to wait for; expect.
verb (used without object)
-
attends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attended,
past participle, past
-
attending
present participle
-
to take care or charge.
to attend to a sick person.
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to apply oneself.
to attend to one's work.
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to pay attention; listen or watch attentively; direct one's thought; pay heed.
to attend to a speaker.
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to be present.
She is a member but does not attend regularly.
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to be present and ready to give service; wait (usually followed by on orupon ).
to attend upon the Queen.
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to follow; be consequent (usually followed by on orupon ).
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Obsolete. to wait.
verb
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to be present at (an event, meeting, etc)
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to give care; minister
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to pay attention; listen
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(tr; often passive) to accompany or follow
a high temperature attended by a severe cough
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to follow as a consequence (of)
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to devote one's time; apply oneself
to attend to the garden
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(tr) to escort or accompany
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(intr; foll by on or upon) to wait (on); serve; provide for the needs (of)
to attend on a guest
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archaic (tr) to wait for; expect
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obsolete (intr) to delay
Synonym Usage
See accompany.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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attendsimple
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attendssimple
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have attendedperfect
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has attendedperfect
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am attendingprogressive
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are attendingprogressive
-
is attendingprogressive
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have been attendingperfect progressive
-
has been attendingperfect progressive
Past
-
attendedsimple
-
had attendedperfect
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was attendingprogressive
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were attendingprogressive
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had been attendingperfect progressive
Future
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”; cf. tend 1
Explanation
The verb attend means to be present, to listen, or give care or attention to. You can attend your family reunion, attend to a project you've been ignoring, or attend to your teacher's voice. When you use attend as "pay attention" or "take care of," it's followed by "to." When you use attend as in "attend a party," you don't. If you attend a political rally, you'll want to attend to what the politicians have to say. When you take attendance, you are checking which students have chosen to attend class, i.e. who is in attendance.
Vocabulary lists containing attend
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
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Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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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.
See Examples For:
Unite said NatWest was abolishing its "remote first" employment category, which allows 13,497 workers to attend the office around twice a month, and requiring 17,272 hybrid workers to increase their office attendance.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
After the event, some of the Manhattanites peel off to attend a pool party, while the rest pile into the bus and turn back onto the Jericho Turnpike.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
The exposed information also includes student grade level, date of birth and the school and district students attend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
He has children who attend the school, Krantz said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
He was traveling downstate to attend the College of Mines and Metallurgy.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Now, she attends the charity's teen to 25 group, which has helped her build confidence.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
In between jobs, he attends poetry readings to keep himself in the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Self-described conservationist, Peter Hampton, said he attends the Food Hub to help the environment and help his budget.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Ingrid is involved in music and theater at Quincy Village, which is part of Presbyterian Senior Living, and attends local history discussions in nearby Waynesboro, Pa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
This is what we do on Saturday mornings, while our father attends to things in his office and our mother goes grocery shopping.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
At around 15, he and his pal Neil Zlozower attended a concert and were struck by the photographers up front covering the show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
He had campaigned in the south of France, where he held rallies attended by supporters who travelled across the border to see him.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sunday night, he attended a screening event at Netflix headquarters for “La Bola Negra,” a movie considered to be an Oscars contender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
In 2012, Love also attended the dedication of a $2.4 million roundabout project in the area, which was designed to improve road safety while supporting efforts to protect the lake’s water quality.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
They sat together three meals a day, but earlier in the year they had attended a production of The Pirates of Penzance, and sometimes they took the Shady Glen van to Target together.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
The pair had been attending a birthday party in Soho in London in 2004 when the alleged incidents happened.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
It happened in a bar in Madrid, where Goodwin and Mummery were attending a scientific conference.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Related: Traditional TV broadcasters attending this week’s annual Mipcom content market and conference in Cannes, France, said they’re adapting to YouTube’s pull on audiences—and finding ways to capitalize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Anyone voting must make an attestation online, or on paper for those attending in person, that they are a member.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
When she arrived home one night after attending church, she found French furiously pacing the floor.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
