attend
- 01 A2 Elementary
to go to or be present at an event, meeting, or school.
to be present at an event, meeting, or institution. Transitive in modern usage, though it can imply regular presence as in schooling.
Simple“All students must attend the graduation ceremony next Friday.”
In context“The CEO is expected to attend the international summit to discuss the new environmental regulations with other industry leaders.”
PitfallI attended to the meeting yesterday. I attended the meeting yesterday.When you mean 'to go to an event', do not use 'to'. You attend the event directly.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to give your attention to something or someone.
to direct one's attention or efforts toward a task, person, or problem. Intransitive; almost always takes the preposition 'to'.
Simple“I have a few urgent emails to attend to before we leave.”
In context“The doctor had to attend to several emergency cases before he could begin his scheduled appointments for the afternoon.”
UsageAlways used with the preposition 'to' in this sense.
- 03 C1 Advanced
to look after someone or provide what they need.
to provide service to or look after the needs of someone. Often used in the context of service staff or medical professionals.
Simple“The flight crew will attend to your needs during the long flight.”
In context“The royal party was attended by a large group of assistants who managed every detail of the journey.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
to go with someone, often as a helper or a result of something.
to accompany as a companion, assistant, or consequence. Often used in literary or formal contexts to describe things that happen together.
Simple“The king was attended by his most loyal guards.”
In context“The sudden change in policy was attended by much public debate and several large protests in the capital.”
attend vs assist — Assist means to help someone, while attend means to be present at an event.
Usage attend college · attend school · attend court
PIE word *h₂éd From Middle English attenden, atenden (“to devote oneself (to a task, etc.); to pay attention to (something), to look after; to consider (something); to expect or look forward to (something); to intend to do (something); to help or serve (someone), attend upon; to take care of (something)”), from Old French atendre (“to await, wait for; to expect; to intend”), from Latin attendere, adtendere (“to pay attention to, attend; to direct or turn toward”), from ad- (“prefix meaning ‘to, towards’”) + tendō (“to direct one’s course; to extend, stretch; to exert, strive”). Doublet of attempt and tend.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.