trending

verb

present participle of trend
1
as in leaning
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 trending Whether energy prices will continue trending downward remains to be seen. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Certification bodies and government stakeholders – constituencies that typically favor precision – are trending in the opposite direction, choosing flexibility over rigidity in the face of political headwinds. — Mike Feibus, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 While many tiny homes have been trending steadily larger, the Sunrise Tiny House takes things in the opposite direction. — New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026 Cecconi and Armstrong could return before the end of the month, while Lively is trending toward a September return. — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Ty Okada started 11 games last season and is trending toward keeping that starting strong safety job this coming season, his fourth in the league. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 The overall debt the DNC has been carrying has been trending upward. — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026 The trending eye shadow aesthetics have evolved since then, and simplicity is reigning in its place. — Elle Turner, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2026 The preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics data for June shows the teen employment-to-population ratio at a nine-month low and the unemployment rate trending higher than a year ago. — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trending
  1. leaning
  2. curving
  3. tending
Verb
  • In 2010, for instance, the left-leaning blog Daily Kos said that polling for its website, conducted by a firm called Research 2000, was fraudulent.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • At the most recent ceremony, two K-pop-leaning tunes were up for the trophy.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of leaning
Verb
  • Its bright red star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion, with a curving tail extending downward toward the horizon.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to other colubrids, this species possesses a Duvernoy’s gland—a venom gland located behind the eyes and connected by a tube to grooved, backward-curving teeth at the back of the upper jaw.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of curving
Verb
  • Mason-Clark is a danger man, tending to lurk at the back post.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Many are turned off by the space requirements of oversized smokers and the hours lost constantly tending to the fire.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tending

Browse Nearby Words

trendiness
trending
trends
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trending. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on trending

Nglish: Translation of trending for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All