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.
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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.
-
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)
-
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
-
has attendedperfect
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am attendingprogressive
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are attendingprogressive
-
is attendingprogressive
-
have been attendingperfect progressive
-
has been attendingperfect progressive
Past
-
attendedsimple
-
had attendedperfect
-
was attendingprogressive
-
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:
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
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
All five boys who were injured, three aged 16 and two aged 17, had been invited to attend the supervised party.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
They had arrived on holiday at the weekend and decided to attend Monday's match, hoping to experience Spanish football for the first time.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Regina had died and Bobby wanted to attend her funeral.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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
The head of state attends in recognition of the Senedd's role in Welsh public life.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Her book also attends to the logistics of end-of-life care while addressing the singularity of human life, community and death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He moves out of his parents’ house, works two jobs, and attends Hunter College part-time.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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
Chemistry professor Brian Crane, who opposed the resolution, said he attended senate meetings on the topic and concluded that declaring “no-confidence” wouldn’t meaningfully address the problems facing Cornell—especially with Yates’ review just beginning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● 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
El-Sayed said in a speech attended by hundreds of supporters who screamed and hugged each other at his election headquarters in Detroit.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
I attended one meeting and drew an incredibly awesome spaceship cruising through the stars.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Suu Kyi, 81, will not be attending the verdict, however.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Spoerry added that there are preparations for women attending hospital unexpectedly.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
“Investors need to be extremely cautious of attending a free lunch seminar,” she writes.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
The sticker price for attending Swarthmore is $98,370, including extra costs like transportation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
I expected that the adjustment would be similar to attending a new school among my own people.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
