tender

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtɛndər/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈtɛndɚ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(tendər)

Inflections of 'tender' (adj):
tenderer
adj comparative
tenderest
adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
ten•der1 /ˈtɛndɚ/USA pronunciation   adj., -er, -est, v. 
adj. 
  1. soft or delicate in substance:a tender steak.
  2. weak or delicate in constitution:tender skin that bruises easily.
  3. young or immature:[before a noun]children of a tender age.
  4. delicate or gentle:the tender touch of her hand.
  5. easily moved to sympathy or compassion;
    kind:a tender heart.
  6. affectionate or sentimental:gave her a tender glance.
  7. sharply or painfully sensitive:a tender bruise on his eye.
  8. of a delicate nature and requiring careful handling:The question of his wife working for the company is a tender subject with him.
ten•der•ly, adv. : held the baby tenderly in her arms.
ten•der•ness, n. [uncountable]See -tend-.

ten•der2 /ˈtɛndɚ/USA pronunciation   v. [+ object]
  1. to present formally for acceptance:to tender one's resignation.

n. 
  1. [countable] the act of tendering.
  2. [uncountable] something tendered or offered, esp. money.
  3. Business[countable] an offer made in writing by one party to another to perform certain work, etc., at a given cost;
    a bid.
ten•der•er, n. [countable]

tend•er3 /ˈtɛndɚ/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. one who attends to someone or something.
  2. Nautical, Naval Termsa ship that attends other ships, as for supplying materials, etc.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
ten•der1  (tendər),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, v. 
adj. 
  1. soft or delicate in substance;
    not hard or tough:a tender steak.
  2. weak or delicate in constitution;
    not strong or hardy.
  3. Botany(of plants) unable to withstand freezing temperatures.
  4. young or immature:children of tender age.
  5. delicate or soft in quality:tender blue.
  6. delicate, soft, or gentle:the tender touch of her hand.
  7. easily moved to sympathy or compassion;
    kind:a tender heart.
  8. affectionate or loving;
    sentimental or amatory:a tender glance.
  9. considerate or careful;
    chary or reluctant (usually fol. by of ).
  10. acutely or painfully sensitive:a tender bruise.
  11. easily distressed;
    readily made uneasy:a tender conscience.
  12. yielding readily to force or pressure;
    easily broken;
    fragile.
  13. of a delicate or ticklish nature;
    requiring careful or tactful handling:a tender subject.
  14. Nautical, Naval Termscrank2 (def. 1).

v.t. 
  1. to make tender.
  2. [Archaic.]to regard or treat tenderly.
  • Latin tenerum, accusative of tener tender
  • Old French
  • Middle English, variant of tendre 1175–1225
tender•ly, adv. 
tender•ness, n. 

ten•der2  (tendər),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to present formally for acceptance;
    make formal offer of:to tender one's resignation.
  2. to offer or proffer.
  3. Lawto offer, as money or goods, in payment of a debt or other obligation, esp. in exact accordance with the terms of the law and of the obligation.

v.i. 
  1. Economicsto make or submit a bid (often fol. by for).

n. 
  1. the act of tendering;
    an offer of something for acceptance.
  2. something tendered or offered, esp. money, as in payment.
  3. Business[Com.]an offer made in writing by one party to another to execute certain work, supply certain commodities, etc., at a given cost;
    bid.
  4. Lawan offer, as of money or goods, in payment or satisfaction of a debt or other obligation.
  • earlier tendre, noun, nominal use of Anglo-French tendre to extend, offer. See tend1 1535–45
tender•er, n. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See offer. 
    • 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged proposal, proffer.

tend•er3  (tendər),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a person who tends;
    a person who attends to or takes charge of someone or something.
  2. Nautical, Naval Termsan auxiliary ship employed to attend one or more other ships, as for supplying provisions.
  3. Nautical, Naval Termsa dinghy carried or towed by a yacht.
  4. Rail Transporta car attached to a steam locomotive for carrying fuel and water.
  • 1425–75; late Middle English; origin, originally aphetic variant of attender; see tend2, -er1

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tender / ˈtɛndə/
  1. easily broken, cut, or crushed; soft; not tough
  2. easily damaged; vulnerable or sensitive: a tender youth, at a tender age
  3. having or expressing warm and affectionate feelings
  4. kind, merciful, or sympathetic: a tender heart
  5. arousing warm feelings; touching
  6. gentle and delicate: a tender breeze
  7. requiring care in handling; ticklish: a tender question
  8. painful or sore
  9. sensitive to moral or spiritual feelings
  10. (postpositive) followed by of: careful or protective: tender of one's emotions
  • (usually plural) a small strip of meat from the breast of a fowl: chicken tenders
  • Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French tendre, from Latin tener delicate
    ˈtenderlyˈtenderness
    tender / ˈtɛndə/
    1. (transitive) to give, present, or offer: to tender one's resignation, tender a bid
    2. (intransitive) followed by for: to make a formal offer or estimate for (a job or contract)
    3. (transitive) to offer (money or goods) in settlement of a debt or claim
    4. the act or an instance of tendering; offer
    5. a formal offer to supply specified goods or services at a stated cost or rate
    6. something, esp money, used as an official medium of payment: legal tender
    Etymology: 16th Century: from Anglo-French tendre, from Latin tendere to extend; see tend1ˈtenderer
    tender / ˈtɛndə/
    1. a small boat, such as a dinghy, towed or carried by a yacht or ship
    2. a vehicle drawn behind a steam locomotive to carry the fuel and water
    3. a person who tends
    Etymology: 15th Century: variant of attender
    'tender' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
    Collocations: a tender [offer, bid, project], [place, review, evaluate] a tender bid, the tender [details, requirements, specifications], more...

    Forum discussions with the word(s) "tender" in the title:


    Look up "tender" at Merriam-Webster
    Look up "tender" at dictionary.com
    • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

    In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

    Advertisements
    Advertisements
    Report an inappropriate ad.
    WordReference.com
    WORD OF THE DAY
    GET THE DAILY EMAIL!