trend
Americannoun
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the general course or prevailing tendency; drift.
trends in the teaching of foreign languages; the trend of events.
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style or vogue.
the new trend in women's apparel.
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the general direction followed by a road, river, coastline, or the like.
verb (used without object)
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to have a general tendency, as events, conditions, etc.
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to tend to take a particular direction; extend in some direction indicated.
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to emerge as a popular trend; be currently popular.
words that have trended this year.
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Digital Technology. to be widely mentioned or discussed on the internet, especially in posts on social media websites.
news stories that are trending online.
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to veer or turn off in a specified direction, as a river, mountain range, etc..
The river trends toward the southeast.
noun
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general tendency or direction
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fashion; mode
verb
Synonym Usage
See tendency.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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trendsimple
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trendssimple
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have trendedperfect
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has trendedperfect
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am trendingprogressive
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are trendingprogressive
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is trendingprogressive
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have been trendingperfect progressive
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has been trendingperfect progressive
Past
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trendedsimple
-
had trendedperfect
-
was trendingprogressive
-
were trendingprogressive
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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
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The Catcher in the Rye
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Word Generation Science - Introductory Chemistry Concepts
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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:
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
The bald-cap trend at Pitbull shows emerged after the pandemic, and has grown thanks to viral social-media videos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Islington is a snapshot of a trend also playing out not only in inner London but also other parts of the world.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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
Penelope had met the haughty baroness on several occasions, and each time she had disliked her more than the last—a trend, she feared, that was about to continue.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
In terms of longer-term trends Abouhossein argues that investment banking generally is transforming as a business model from a heavy emphasis on balance sheet and inventory, to something lighter and more geared to best-execution practices.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The deal with Disney will make use of those funds, Amaya said, adding that many food trends these days originate in restaurants and entertainment venues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
So there is much uncertainty here, but some clear trends emerging.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
I’ve never followed any trends, and chose moving to my own beat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Why is it that some ideas and trends and messages “tip” and others don’t?
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Much of Tesla’s sales growth is tied to Europe, where sales have trended stronger in recent months.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Fasting blood glucose trended downward across groups, and several lipid related measures also improved.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
Among age groups, confidence ticked up for consumers aged 35-54, but trended downward for older and younger consumers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
“He’s been doing great. He’s trended in the right direction the last couple weeks. But I still feel that it’s still the right thing to give him a day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 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
Given the way things are trending, none of that would be entirely surprising.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
“WTI has been trending lower for several weeks, leaving momentum indicators increasingly stretched to the downside,” the market analyst notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
When VIX is trending lower, that is bullish for stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
“The Phoenix Riders are trending online over every other team. I bet the Demon Brigade’s unhappy about that.”
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
