attend
/əˈtɛnd
/verb [with object]
1Be present at (an event, meeting, or function): the whole sales force attended the conference [no object]: her family were not invited to attend...
- The rest of the week will find her in planning meetings or attending the planned events.
- Mr Jones was unable to attend the meeting of creditors as he is in hospital undergoing tests and awaiting heart surgery.
- He stressed that York Council officials would be invited to attend the meeting to explain the proposals.
Synonyms
be present at, be at, be there at, sit in on, take part in;
appear at, put in an appearance at, make an appearance at, present oneself at, turn up at, visit, pay a visit to, go to;
frequent, haunt, patronize
informal show up at, pop up at, show one's face at, hang out at, take in, catch
1.1Go regularly to (a school, church, or clinic): all children are required to attend school...
- Some schools insist on seeing baptism certificates or letters from local clergy confirming that a family regularly attends church before they will offer a place to a child.
- Fewer than one Scot in eight regularly attends church.
- Both my husband and I grew up attending church regularly and we are Christians.
2 [no object] (attend to) Deal with: he muttered that he had business to attend to...
- The man leading a takeover bid for one of the UK's biggest insurance companies today said he had unfinished business to attend to when the deal was done.
- The world's prospective nuclear arsenals cannot be dealt with without attending to its existing ones.
- I was talking with some colleagues the other day about young managers and, how today, there are so many areas of responsibility that they have to attend to and deal with.
Synonyms
deal with, cope with, see to, address, manage, organize, orchestrate, make arrangements for, sort out, handle, take care of, take charge of, take responsibility for, take in hand, take forward, take up, undertake, tackle, give one's attention to, apply oneself to
2.1Give practical help and care to; look after: the severely wounded had two medics to attend to their wounds [with object]: each of the beds in the intensive-care unit is attended by a nurse...
- They were on the ground attending to the children with care and attention.
- If you have foot complications from diabetes, it's best that a podiatrist trims your nails and attends to other foot care on a regular basis.
- The Missoula sisters' primary goals were providing physical care and attending to their patients' spiritual well-being.
Synonyms
care for, look after, take care of, minister to, administer to, keep an eye on, see to;
tend, treat, nurse, help, aid, assist, succour, nurture, mind
informal doctor
2.2Pay attention to: Alice hadn’t attended to a word of his sermon...
- She found herself unable to attend to study, whether listening to the teacher or doing exercises, in class or at home.
- Careful and caring listening attends to the values and commitments expressed by the other.
- These tempo fluctuations allow students to improve their skills of listening and attending to their partner as well as demonstrate their own musical intentions.
Synonyms
pay attention, pay heed, be attentive, listen, lend an ear;
concentrate on, take note of, bear in mind, give thought to, take into consideration, be heedful of, heed, respect, follow, observe, notice, mark
informal tune in to, get a load of, check out, be all ears for
archaic hearken, give ear, regard
3Escort and wait on (a member of royalty or other important person): Her Royal Highness was attended by Mrs Jane Stevens...
- The noblemen then left and Elizabeth, attended by twenty ladies and their various attendants, entered the inner chamber where she would actually give birth.
- The 1954 May Queen was Miss Audrey Howarth who was attended by her heralds, ladies, the Lord Chamberlain and other persons from her "Court."
Synonyms
escort, accompany, guard, chaperone, squire, convoy, guide, lead, conduct, usher, shepherd, follow, shadow;
assist, help, serve, wait on
4Occur with or as a result of: people feared that the switch to a peacetime economy would be attended by a severe slump...
- Such variations are attended by swelling or shrinkage.
- The local inflammation extends deep, and is attended by swelling, a tingling, burning, and pungent heat, and by a redness, which disappears when the skin is pressed by the finger.
Synonyms
be accompanied by, be associated with, be connected with, be linked with, go hand in hand with;
occur with, co-occur with, coexist with, be produced by, be brought about by, originate from, originate in, stem from, result from, be a result of, arise from, follow on from, be a consequence of
Derivatives
attender
/ noun ...- Regular attenders believe it was the best ever over the 25 years.
- While the proportion of people coming to church to be married, baptised and buried remains higher than the number of members or regular attenders, the trends are moving in the same direction.
- I am still a believer, but not as regular a church attender as I should be.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'apply one's mind or energies to'): from Old French atendre, from Latin attendere, from ad- 'to' + tendere 'stretch'.