Dictionaryattendpaying attention
verb

attend

To direct careful attention to someone's needs.

The nurse attends to the injured hiker beside the trail.

Etymology

Latin ad- and tendere express stretching toward something. Attending directs the mind toward people’s needs, extending the image of reaching toward them into careful service or care.

More examples

  • Please attend carefully to the instructions before you begin.
  • She attended to her guests' needs throughout the evening.
  • He is attending to several urgent repairs at the school.

Forms

attend · attends · attended · attending

attentive adjective — Carefully noticing and responding to needs.

Similar words

heed
Specifically means paying serious attention to advice or warnings.
tend
Emphasizes caring for someone or maintaining something.