From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtend to do somethingtend to do somethingOFTENif something tends to happen, it happens often and is likely to happen again People tend to need less sleep as they get older. My car tends to overheat in the summer. → tend
Examples from the Corpus
tend to do something• Just beyond the crest they will tend to accumulate, for the effect of the wind is felt less here.• Dave tends to arrive late, so don't worry yet.• Recent studies show that girls tend to be better at languages than boys.• Modern planting tends to be done in large blocks, not for shelter, but as a crop in its own right.• However; the defiant child also tends to have a little better postural control than the overly sensitive child.• My father tends to interfere too much in other people's business.• Elizabeth Dole, on the other hand, tends to keep her own moderate views bottled up inside.• He died while tending to plague victims.• It tends to rain a lot during the winter.• Since costs tend to rise inexorably, attempts to stabilize public spending have essentially meant cuts in actual services.• The long-wave school tends to see historical phases more cyclically, and to encounter repetitions and similarities between cycles.• The problem with this model of car is that the gearbox tends to seize up.• Hodgskin expounded a minimalist conception of the state, insisting that government tended to shackle the energies and liberties of individuals.• Bill tends to talk too much when he's nervous.