Skip to main content
Language Foundation

attend

To attend is to be present at an event, meeting, appointment, or other arranged occasion.

In plain English

It means showing up and being there when something planned takes place. The occasion is an arranged one, not just any moment. This can include a meeting, appointment, event, or similar scheduled occasion.

In context

Here, attend asks the resident to be present for the maintenance visit.

Situation
Setting up utilities and submitting maintenance, repair, and access requests
What it communicates
asks the resident to be present for the maintenance visit.

Meaning limits

By itself, the term only refers to being present and does not say what else must happen during that occasion.

Examples

“Several parents attended the school meeting without speaking.”

Core meaning

“The tenant must attend the maintenance visit on Thursday afternoon.”

In context

  • be present Broader Term

    Attending an arranged occasion is one kind of being present.

  • pay attention Alternate Sense

    In another sense, attend refers to focusing on what is being said or done, not to being present at an occasion.