| English Dictionary |
TENDER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does tender mean?
• TENDER (noun)
The noun TENDER has 6 senses:
1. something that can be used as an official medium of payment
2. someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
3. a formal proposal to buy at a specified price
4. car attached to a locomotive to carry fuel and water
5. a boat for communication between ship and shore
6. ship that usually provides supplies to other ships
Familiarity information: TENDER used as a noun is common.
• TENDER (adjective)
The adjective TENDER has 8 senses:
1. given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
2. hurting
3. young and immature
4. having or displaying warmth or affection
5. easy to cut or chew
6. physically untoughened
7. (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
8. (of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition
Familiarity information: TENDER used as an adjective is common.
• TENDER (verb)
The verb TENDER has 4 senses:
1. offer or present for acceptance
2. propose a payment
3. make a tender of; in legal settlements
4. make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer
Familiarity information: TENDER used as a verb is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Something that can be used as an official medium of payment
Classified under:
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession
Synonyms:
legal tender; stamp; tender
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
medium of exchange; monetary system (anything that is generally accepted as a standard of value and a measure of wealth in a particular country or region)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tender"):
food stamp (a government-issued stamp that can be used in exchange for food)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
assistant; help; helper; supporter (a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tender"):
loader (an attendant who loads guns for someone shooting game)
matron of honor (a married woman serving as the attendant to the bride at a wedding)
hospital attendant; orderly (a male hospital attendant who has general duties that do not involve the medical treatment of patients)
orderly (a soldier who serves as an attendant to a superior officer)
page; varlet (in medieval times a youth acting as a knight's attendant as the first stage in training for knighthood)
page (a youthful attendant at official functions or ceremonies such as legislative functions and weddings)
racker (an attendant who puts pool or billiard balls into a rack)
rocker (an attendant who rocks a child in a cradle)
second (the official attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match)
servitor (someone who performs the duties of an attendant for someone else)
squire (young nobleman attendant on a knight)
gallant; squire (a man who attends or escorts a woman)
flight attendant; steward (an attendant on an airplane)
litter-bearer; stretcher-bearer (one who helps carry a stretcher)
trainbearer (one who holds up the train of a gown or robe on a ceremonial occasion)
arouser; rouser; waker (someone who rouses others from sleep)
lifeguard; lifesaver (an attendant employed at a beach or pool to protect swimmers from accidents)
companion (one paid to accompany or assist or live with another)
baggageman (an attendant who takes care of baggage)
batman (an orderly assigned to serve a British military officer)
bellboy; bellhop; bellman (someone employed as an errand boy and luggage carrier around hotels)
bridesmaid; maid of honor (an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding)
caddie; golf caddie (an attendant who carries the golf clubs for a player)
checker (an attendant who checks coats or baggage)
courtier (an attendant at the court of a sovereign)
cupbearer (the attendant (usually an officer of a nobleman's household) whose duty is to fill and serve cups of wine)
equerry (a personal attendant of the British royal family)
escort (an attendant who is employed to accompany someone)
esquire ((Middle Ages) an attendant and shield bearer to a knight; a candidate for knighthood)
famulus (a close attendant (as to a scholar))
gillie (a young male attendant on a Scottish Highlander chief)
groomsman (a male attendant of the bridegroom at a wedding)
linkboy; linkman ((formerly) an attendant hired to carry a torch for pedestrians in dark streets)
Derivation:
tend (have care of or look after)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A formal proposal to buy at a specified price
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
bid; tender
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
offer; offering (something offered (as a proposal or bid))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tender"):
overbid (a bid that is higher than preceding bids)
buyout bid (a bid to buy all of a person's holdings)
Derivation:
tender (make a tender of; in legal settlements)
tender (propose a payment)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Car attached to a locomotive to carry fuel and water
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
car; railcar; railroad car; railway car (a wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A boat for communication between ship and shore
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
cutter; pinnace; ship's boat; tender
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
boat (a small vessel for travel on water)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tender"):
gig (tender that is a light ship's boat; often for personal use of captain)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Ship that usually provides supplies to other ships
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
supply ship; tender
Hypernyms ("tender" is a kind of...):
ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: tenderest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
Context example:
a tender mother
Similar:
protective (showing care)
sentimental (given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality)
Also:
soft (compassionate and kind; conciliatory)
Antonym:
tough (not given to gentleness or sentimentality)
Derivation:
tenderness (a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless))
tenderness (warm compassionate feelings)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Hurting
Synonyms:
Context example:
the tender spot on his jaw
Similar:
painful (causing physical or psychological pain)
Derivation:
tenderness (a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched))
Sense 3
Meaning:
Young and immature
Context example:
at a tender age
Similar:
immature; young ((used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Having or displaying warmth or affection
Synonyms:
affectionate; fond; lovesome; tender
Context example:
a tender glance
Similar:
loving (feeling or showing love and affection)
Derivation:
tenderness (a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling)
tenderness (a positive feeling of liking)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Easy to cut or chew
Context example:
tender beef
Similar:
chewable; cuttable (able to be chewed or cut)
tenderised; tenderized (made tender as by marinating or pounding)
flakey; flaky (made of or easily forming flakes)
crisp; crispy (tender and brittle)
Also:
comestible; eatable; edible (suitable for use as food)
Antonym:
tough (resistant to cutting or chewing)
Derivation:
tenderize (make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Physically untoughened
Synonyms:
tender; untoughened
Context example:
tender feet
Similar:
Also:
weak (wanting in physical strength)
Antonym:
tough (physically toughened)
Derivation:
tenderness (a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched))
Sense 7
Meaning:
(used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
Synonyms:
Similar:
unstable (lacking stability or fixity or firmness)
Domain category:
boat (a small vessel for travel on water)
Sense 8
Meaning:
(of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition
Context example:
tender green shoots
Similar:
delicate (exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury)
Domain category:
flora; plant; plant life ((botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it tenders Past simple: tendered
Past participle: tendered
-ing form: tendering
Sense 1
Meaning:
Offer or present for acceptance
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Hypernyms (to "tender" is one way to...):
gift; give; present (give as a present; make a gift of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Sense 2
Meaning:
Propose a payment
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
Context example:
The Swiss dealer offered $2 million for the painting
"Tender" entails doing...:
bargain; dicker (negotiate the terms of an exchange)
Domain category:
auction; auction sale; vendue (the public sale of something to the highest bidder)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "tender"):
by-bid (bid on behalf of someone else)
subscribe (offer to buy, as of stocks and shares)
overbid (bid more than the object is worth)
underbid (bid too low)
outbid (bid higher than others)
underbid (bid lower than a competing bidder)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Derivation:
tender (a formal proposal to buy at a specified price)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Make a tender of; in legal settlements
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Hypernyms (to "tender" is one way to...):
offer; proffer (present for acceptance or rejection)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
tender (a formal proposal to buy at a specified price)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
Context example:
tenderize meat
Hypernyms (to "tender" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Context examples
The good was all to myself, by making you an object of the tenderest affection to me.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
If you are married, would you like to weave tender moments together so that you can grow closer?
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Then as to the claws upon your feet before and behind, they are so short and tender, that one of our Yahoos would drive a dozen of yours before him.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
Looking up suddenly, he read the tender advertisement in her face.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
They treated her with more respect, she thought, took quite a tender interest in what she said, and looked at her with eyes that plainly betrayed curiosity.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
"The rain is over and gone, and there is a tender shining after it: you shall have a walk soon."
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
As when I saw the tender, beautiful regard which Agnes cast upon her.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
He then returned to his former station, and went on as if there had been no such tender interruption.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Well, you certainly touched upon rather a tender point.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The act of the dispensing, applying, or tendering of something to another, such as administration of a medicine.
(Administration, NCI Thesaurus)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
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