attend
Americanverb (used with object)
-
attends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
attended,
past participle, past
-
attending
present participle
-
to be present at.
to attend a lecture; to attend church.
-
to go with as a concomitant or result; accompany.
Fever may attend a cold. Success attended her hard work.
-
to take care of; minister to; devote one's services to.
The nurse attended the patient daily.
-
to wait upon; accompany as a companion or servant.
The retainers attended their lord.
-
to take charge of; watch over; look after; tend; guard.
to attend one's health.
-
to listen to; give heed to.
-
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.
-
to apply oneself.
to attend to one's work.
-
to pay attention; listen or watch attentively; direct one's thought; pay heed.
to attend to a speaker.
-
to be present.
She is a member but does not attend regularly.
-
to be present and ready to give service; wait (usually followed by on orupon ).
to attend upon the Queen.
-
to follow; be consequent (usually followed by on orupon ).
-
Obsolete. to wait.
verb
-
to be present at (an event, meeting, etc)
-
to give care; minister
-
to pay attention; listen
-
(tr; often passive) to accompany or follow
a high temperature attended by a severe cough
-
(intr; foll by on or upon) to follow as a consequence (of)
-
to devote one's time; apply oneself
to attend to the garden
-
(tr) to escort or accompany
-
(intr; foll by on or upon) to wait (on); serve; provide for the needs (of)
to attend on a guest
-
archaic (tr) to wait for; expect
-
obsolete (intr) to delay
Synonym Usage
See accompany.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
attendsimple
-
attendssimple
-
have attendedperfect
-
has attendedperfect
-
am attendingprogressive
-
are attendingprogressive
-
is attendingprogressive
-
have been attendingperfect progressive
-
has been attendingperfect progressive
Past
-
attendedsimple
-
had attendedperfect
-
was attendingprogressive
-
were attendingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
According to the ex-convict lifestyle mogul, she had thrown together the outfit last minute because she had been too busy to plan a proper costume to attend a Halloween party.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Some foreign businesspeople have resorted to driving hundreds of miles between Gulf capitals to attend meetings in person while minimizing their exposure to airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
After a year, I decided to attend a journalism program in Maine, but I needed a stopover in New York to make money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The Kremlin has not yet said whether Putin will attend.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Before she built the sukkah, she had business to attend to.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Adam, whose daughter attends St Peter's, said he felt frightened even though he had texted her and knew she was OK.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
He attends a meeting of the local black-lung association, attended by medical specialists and their patients and moderated by respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman, director of New Beginnings Pulmonary Rehab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
His son Marshall has followed in his father’s football footsteps and attends Baylor School in Chattanooga, where he plays quarterback.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
This is all incredibly normal, accepted behaviour which anyone who attends a concert regularly already understands.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
I’d like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train- car constructions like, say, “the happiness that attends disaster.”
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
"Officers attended and subsequently stopped a vehicle in the Darras Hall area and seized a bow and arrows," added the statement.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Hayek Pinault dedicated the award to Dolores Huerta, who attended the gala last year, and called Huerta “a womb for our community.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
In Wester Hailes, the fire service attended a fire in a grass area near houses in Murrayburn Park.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
My wife and I attended an end-of-life seminar at our local church last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
So beginning in 1958, I attended the briefings right along with all the guys.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Some placed deposits at multiple schools and went elsewhere; others might not be attending anywhere because of financial challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Before attending the couple's home, Wilkins said he had sent two photos of himself, after Young said his wife requested it.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
“Investors need to be extremely cautious of attending a free lunch seminar,” she writes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Rex Refuela, a 46-year-old tourist from Manila attending his first Panag-aapoy, told AFP he understood the need to be respectful.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Our friends and loved ones were used to attending debutant balls, but since I didn’t have one the year before, this party was like my make-up quinceañera.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
