Attending
/əˈtɛndɪŋ/
verbBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
To be present at; to go to.
/əˈtɛndɪŋ/
verbneutralBeginner
General
Being present at an event.
He is attending the meeting.
💡 Simply: To be somewhere; to go to something.
More Examples
2
Are you attending the party?
How It's Used
Educational
"I'm attending a conference on AI next week."
Social
"She's attending a wedding this weekend."
From Old French 'attendre' meaning 'to wait for', ultimately from Latin 'attendere' meaning 'to stretch towards'. The modern sense of 'being present at' developed over time.
While the root implies waiting, the focus on presence emerged prominently in the 16th century.
Memory tip
Think of 'attend' as 'to pay attention to' - being present requires attention.
Practice
Base: attend
atendingattedning
Usage
60%Spoken
40%Written