trend
Americannoun
-
trends
plural
-
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)
-
trends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
trended,
past participle, past
-
trending
present participle
-
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!
The ACT Science Test: The Scientific Method
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:
“He continues to trend in the right direction,” Redick said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
While he recognised nightclubs were spaces for meeting others, Adam said there was also a trend of younger people going out and drinking less - which was good for their health.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
“The long-term trend is one of strong growth and continued institutional demand for our platform,” Blue Owl’s spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The drop below the trend line, as shown in chart above, is another sign that the current selloff is different than the more recent ones.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
This trend began in the 1990s with an educational reform movement that stressed teacher accountability.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
When someone says things are different this time, Wall Street has a tendency to be skeptical, because market trends often last longer than expected.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Affin Hwang downgrades Press Metal to hold from buy, and cuts its target price to 7.70 ringgit from 9.40 ringgit, citing less-favorable raw material price trends and a plateau in aluminium price momentum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Firms’ early websites were perfunctory hubs of partner and contact information, and seldom updated to move with the oscillating trends of the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The study was observational, meaning it could identify associations and trends but could not determine whether particular risk factors directly caused the increases in cancer incidence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The final pair of crime-drop explanations concern two demographic trends.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Tracking predictions for the film’s debut have steadily trended downward and settled between $15 million and $19 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Versions of it soon trended online, with users adding edits and jokes and mocking the lighting and camera angles in his video.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The measure, which policymakers closely watch as a gauge of underlying inflation, has remained above 2% since September 2025 and has trended higher in recent months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Much of Tesla’s sales growth is tied to Europe, where sales have trended stronger in recent months.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 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
As September draws to a close, though, Andrew Tyler’s team identifies a more favorable setup, and now is going tactically bullish as they anticipate more stable bond markets and the oil price trending lower.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
And on Saturday, he was again trying to get #CameDownToACouplePlays trending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Terms associated with this mood have been trending for years.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Presidio Investors invested in technology to identify trending books ripe for acquisition, and Podium now has a catalog of 15,000 titles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
We’re a trending story on Twitter—probably Facebook, too.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
