trend
Americannoun
-
the general course or prevailing tendency; drift.
trends in the teaching of foreign languages; the trend of events.
-
style or vogue.
the new trend in women's apparel.
-
the general direction followed by a road, river, coastline, or the like.
verb (used without object)
-
to have a general tendency, as events, conditions, etc.
-
to tend to take a particular direction; extend in some direction indicated.
-
to emerge as a popular trend; be currently popular.
words that have trended this year.
-
Digital Technology. to be widely mentioned or discussed on the internet, especially in posts on social media websites.
news stories that are trending online.
-
to veer or turn off in a specified direction, as a river, mountain range, etc..
The river trends toward the southeast.
noun
-
general tendency or direction
-
fashion; mode
verb
Synonym Usage
See tendency.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
trendsimple
-
trendssimple
-
have trendedperfect
-
has trendedperfect
-
am trendingprogressive
-
are trendingprogressive
-
is trendingprogressive
-
have been trendingperfect progressive
-
has been trendingperfect progressive
Past
-
trendedsimple
-
had trendedperfect
-
was trendingprogressive
-
were trendingprogressive
-
had been trendingperfect progressive
Future
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
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!
The Catcher in the Rye
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!
Word Generation Science - Introductory Chemistry Concepts
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:
While pinning down the exact reason why these states buck the trend is difficult, Hoell hypothesized the region’s unique summer monsoon rains could alleviate the risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
More recently, chip stocks flipped within days from powering the market to entering their own bear trend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
"If this trend keeps happening one or two years down the line, I don't know," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sales growth is unusually strong at about 19% on a year-over-year basis, more than three times the long-term trend.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
"I liked the trend of darker skin and light eyes; will that be back in fashion?"
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
She also hosts and produces social videos about business news and careers and enjoys reporting A-heds about consumer trends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Researchers at Imperial analysed NHS data from the English National Diabetes Audit, external to study trends over time.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Based on what we have seen so far, here are several key trends for investors to watch, and what they mean for your portfolio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
I’ve never followed any trends, and chose moving to my own beat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
To a greater or lesser degree, most members of the reporting team performed similar feats of tedious investigation before finding characters who would personify the statistical trends.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Housing prices in London have trended lower over the past year thanks to higher interest rates, but the lack of new supply is keeping prices higher than they should be.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Fasting blood glucose trended downward across groups, and several lipid related measures also improved.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
While shares have trended lower this week, the stock remains up 68% in 2026.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
Standardized test scores have trended upward since the nadir of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering faster than the state average, but the pace remains too incremental for critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Still, Penelope convinced herself that the havoc trended in one direction slightly more so than in the other.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
The Marxist commentator Thomas Sankara, who died in 1987, became a trend on TikTok with clips edited with trending songs, GIFs of his face in comment sections.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Construction equipment trends in the quarter were mixed, though the cycle overall is trending positively, the bank adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Given the way things are trending, none of that would be entirely surprising.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
It’s bearish for the stock market when these ratios are trending higher.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
For every video that swiftly saturated the internet—I'd mom-danced with Jimmy Fallon, Nerf-dunked on LeBron James, and college-rapped with Jay Pharoah—we'd focused ourselves on doing more than trending for a few hours on Twitter.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
