trend 1 of 2

1
as in tide
a prevailing or general movement or inclination according to the survey, there's a growing trend for companies to run their own day-care centers for the benefit of employees

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2

trend

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to tend
to show a liking or proneness (for something) during the winter our school system trends toward canceling school at the drop of a hat—or at least a snowflake

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to curve
to turn away from a straight line or course the river trends east, then west again, forming an oxbow

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word trend different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of trend are current, drift, tendency, and tenor. While all these words mean "movement in a particular direction," trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

the long-term trend of the stock market is upward

When can current be used instead of trend?

In some situations, the words current and trend are roughly equivalent. However, current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.

an encounter that changed the current of my life

When is drift a more appropriate choice than trend?

The synonyms drift and trend are sometimes interchangeable, but drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces, or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse.

the drift of the population away from large cities
got the drift of her argument

When might tendency be a better fit than trend?

The words tendency and trend are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.

a general tendency toward inflation

When is it sensible to use tenor instead of trend?

The meanings of tenor and trend largely overlap; however, tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course.

the tenor of the times

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trend
Noun
Health experts explain whether the rising diet trend works. Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025 Meanwhile, slouchy pleated chinos, sweater vests, loafers and neckties—worn in conventional and unconventional ways—added a grandfatherly look to the trend. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025 Following their massive success last year, Jayden Daniels and company are eager to keep trending in the right direction in hopes of competing for a title. Kevin McCormick, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trend
Noun
  • Google is going to lift the tide once more on artificial intelligence.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • However, new Gallup polling shows the tide could be turning for the president.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Searches for boho braids have climbed over 5,000% on Google in the past month alone—and Mensah has seen the craze reflected in the growing waiting list in her salon too.
    Hannah Coates, Vogue, 2 Aug. 2025
  • The shoes were usually worn by fathers or middle-aged men, but were then adopted by street style influencers, propelling the dad shoe into a hot fashion trend, with Nike, New Balance, Asics and more footwear companies leaning into the dad shoe craze.
    Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 28 July 2025
Verb
  • The thing is, those casts tend to be younger, unmarried, and childless; the stakes of their drunken antics are lower, less likely to land them in court or rehab and their kids, who in the case of The Valley families are too little to be consensual participants in the Bravo universe, in therapy.
    Judy Berman, Time, 13 Aug. 2025
  • If there’s a connection to how board games tend to behave there, it’s not explored.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Dozens of storms have traveled north offshore, often curving completely away from the coast without making landfall in the mainland United States or in Canada, but some leave damage in their wakes, in the form of erosion, coastal flooding and even deaths from rough seas.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Her blonde locks were styled into tight barrel curls, while her bangs curved outward to the sides of her face.
    Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In September, Puck News reported the series faced delays due disagreements between Kaepernick and Lee over the direction of the film.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2025
  • It’s flipped in that direction, though The Dodgers were playing ugly baseball before the Padres came to town.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The latests deaths included three residents of long-term care facilities in Dallas, as well as a Balch Springs man in his 20s and a Dallas man in his 60s.
    Dana Branham, Dallas News, 30 Apr. 2020
  • That equates to more than 45 million Americans using CBD products, based on latest available U.S. Census estimates.
    Brendan Bures, chicagotribune.com, 2 Oct. 2019
Verb
  • Brands like Stella McCartney and Chanel have been leaning into the fluid silhouettes trending this summer.
    Luz García, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The engaged couple even got cozy, with Holland, 29, seemingly spotting photographers and leaning into the Euphoria Emmy winner.
    Jack Smart, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Birds love the honeysuckle and porcelain vine fruits and have the infuriating tendency to pass them through their system undamaged, and then deposit them in your garden, in tremendous numbers, encased in a nice little fertilizer packet.
    Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Golubic chalked that up to our natural preference for round numbers, a tendency that’s backed by research.
    Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 14 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trend. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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