English Reference

Word

intending

Phoneticsin·tend·ing

US/ˌɪnˈtɛndɪŋ/

UK/ɪntˈɛndɪŋ/

Definitions

01planning to do something

B1

v. the action of having a plan or purpose in mind.

v. the present participle of 'intend', expressing a current state of planning or purpose.

“We are intending to move to a larger house next summer.”

“The government is intending to reform the tax code by the end of the current fiscal year to encourage investment.”

Pitfall

I am intending for to go.

I am intending to go.

The verb 'intend' is followed by a to-infinitive, not 'for to'.

02prospective or future

B2

adj. planning to be a particular type of person or to start a specific role.

adj. functioning as an attributive adjective to describe a person who plans to enter a specific role or state.

“The university held an open day for intending students and their families.”

“The handbook provides essential guidance for intending parents considering the legal complexities of international adoption.”

Formal

Usage

Always placed before the noun it modifies.

03the act of having a purpose

C1 · Philosophy

n. the mental process of forming an intention or a plan.

n. the gerund form used to describe the cognitive or philosophical process of directed purpose.

“The philosopher discussed the difference between intending and actually acting.”

“In phenomenology, the act of intending is central to how consciousness relates to objects in the world.”

Academic · Technical

Synonyms

Real-World Examples

“A ccording to legend, in the summer of 1873 Anton Bruckner travelled to Bayreuth intending to dedicate one of a pair of scores to his hero, Wagner.”
The Guardian · 13 Aug 2026
“Without intending to, it's easy to forget that these are already part of ongoing relationships.”
Phys.org · 21 Aug 2026

Domain

Philosophy

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference