From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtenderten‧der1 /ˈtendə $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective 1 foodDFSOFT tender food is easy to cut and eat, especially because it has been well cooked OPP tough Continue cooking until the meat is tender.► see thesaurus at soft2 part of your bodyHURT/CAUSE PAIN a part of your body that is tender is painful if someone touches it My arm is still tender where I bruised it.► see thesaurus at painful3 gentleLOVE gentle and careful in a way that shows love Her voice was tender and soft. a slow, tender kiss4 easily damagedHBP easily damaged – used especially about plants or flowers tender plants that were killed by the harsh winter5 → tender loving care6 → tender age —tenderly adverb —tenderness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
tender• Like the town in which he lived most of his life, he was tough but tender.• Cook the curry for another 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.• Now I'm going to press down on several places around your knee, and you tell me when it feels tender.• Stir in broth and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until onions are very tender, about 20 minutes.• Beef cuts are described as tender and less tender.• My mouth was tender and swollen where he had hit me.• tender blossoms• She was blossoming like the flowers nourished by her tender care.• a tender, caring woman• When she spoke, her voice was full of tender concern.• Fleury saw an expression of tender devotion come over his father's face.• Your mouth will be tender for a few days after the operation.• It was an unexpectedly tender insight on the part of the Arabs to accommodate their infants up here where it was airy and cool.• They gave each other a tender kiss.• I was feeling rather fragile, and in need of tender loving care.• The sirloin was moist and tender on the inside.• That contrast of tender sensibility and senseless brutality was etched into my mind, exposing the utter meaninglessness of violence and war.tendertender2 verb 1 [transitive] formalGIVE to formally offer or show something to someone As company secretary, you must tender the proposal.tender something to somebody The seller has the right to keep the goods until payment is tendered to him. Minton tendered her resignation on Friday.2 [intransitive] British EnglishBBT to make a formal offer to do a job or provide goods or services for a particular price SYN bid American Englishtender for We are unable to tender competitively for the contract.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
tender• They're protesting at the government's proposals to allow private firms to tender for prison work.• Unfortunately, the cheque they tendered subsequently bounced, an occurrence that had become their trademark around the world.• Still hopelessly divided, they expected to hear that he had tendered their collective resignations to the King.tendered ... resignation• East resigned, Rowlands returned, but not until the junior vice-president, Rhys Williams, had tendered his resignation.• The following day, a Friday, Buell Gallagher tendered his resignation as president, effective Monday.• He was successful, and tendered his resignation from Stockport with effect from 31st October.• Previously Bank vice-president, he succeeded Wladyslaw Baka, who had tendered his resignation on Jan. 17.• Wang had tendered his resignation on Oct. 7 following widespread public and cross-party criticism of his controversial proposal for land tax reforms.• Piqued, Falkenhayn tendered his resignation to the Kaiser, but it was rejected.• Still hopelessly divided, they expected to hear that he had tendered their collective resignations to the King.tendertender3 noun [countable] 1 BB especially British English a formal statement of the price you would charge for doing a job or providing goods or services SYN bid American English Our bid was the lowest tender.put something out to tender British English (=to ask different companies to say how much they will charge for doing a particular job) The contract for building the houses will be put out to tender.2 TTWa small boat that takes people or supplies between the shore and a larger boat3 TTTpart of a steam train used for carrying coal and water for the train → bartender, legal tenderExamples from the Corpus
tender• He looked after his wife with infinite care and tenderness.• Methods of cooking such as braising and stewing are used to increase tenderness in tougher cuts of meat.• Provided there is sufficient interest, tenders should also result in certainty of sale within a defined period.• Pressure came in later years to accept the lowest tenders, irrespective of the quality of the bid.• At the weekly tender each tender must be for not less than £50 000.put something out to tender• The legislation takes no account of the expense that is incurred when a council puts work out to tender.From Longman Business Dictionarytenderten‧der1 /ˈtendə-ər/ noun [countable]1COMMERCE an offer to do a job or provide goods or services for a particular price, usually as part of a competition between several companies for the same workTheir bid was £150,000 more than the lowest tender.Councillors agreed that the contract to build the homes should be put out to (=offered for) tender. —tenderer noun [countable]It is preferable for tenders to be opened publicly with the tenderers present.2FINANCE an offer to buy shares, which will be sold to the investor who offers the highest amountSome tender offers stipulate a minimum price for offers.3LAW an offer of the exact amount of money in CASH (=coins and notes) needed to pay for something → see also legal tendertendertender2 verb1[intransitive]COMMERCE to make a formal offer to do a job or provide goods or services at a particular pricetender forThe company said it is unable to tender competitively for contracts unless it has the flexibility of Sunday working.2[intransitive]FINANCE to make a formal offer to buy or sell shares at a particular pricetender forThe company has agreed to tender for two million of the shares at $4 a share.Stockholders must tender for their shares by a specified expiration date.3[transitive] formal to offer or show something to someoneShe will tender a proposal at the meeting.The company vice-president had tendered his resignation (=officially said he wanted to leave his job).4[transitive] formal to give money as paymentShe tendered a £10 note.→ See Verb tableOrigin tender1 (1200-1300) Old French tendre, from Latin tener “soft, young” tender2 (1500-1600) French tendre “to hold out, offer”, from Latin tendere; → TEND tender3 1. (1500-1600) tender2. (1400-1500) → TEND 