Word.ws English Dictionary

tender

Syllables: ten·derUK/ˈtɛn.dəː//ˈtɛn.dɚ/

tender adjective: sensitive or painful to the touch. Also the ellipsis of water tender.

tender: sensitive or painful to the touch
Image: Jooja, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Adjective

tender (comparative tenderer, superlative tenderest)

  1. Sensitive or painful to the touch.
    • […]poore Lord, is't I
      That chaſe thee from thy Countrie, and expoſe
      Thoſe tender limbes of thine[…]c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • Be careful: that area is tender.2006, Shrek, spoken by Shrek (Mike Myers)
  2. Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate.
    • tender plants
    • tender flesh
  3. Physically weak; not able to endure hardship.
    • the tender and delicate woman among you1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 28:56
  4. Soft and easily chewed.
    • The Matrix is telling my brain this steak is tender, succulent, and juicy.2001, Joey Pantolino (character), The Matrix (movie)
  5. Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.
    • Our Bodies are not naturally more Tender than our Faces.1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC
  6. Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet.
    • Suzanne was such a tender mother to her children.
    • You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies,
      Will never do him good.c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
  7. Young and inexperienced.
    • I first had a girlfriend at the tender age of seven.
    • And you of tender years can't know the fears that your elders grew by.1970, Graham Nash, “Teach Your Children”
  8. Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic.
    • tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain
    • The lesser griefs that may be said,
      ⁠That breathe a thousand tender vows,
      ⁠Are but as servants in a house
      Where lies the master newly dead; […]1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XX”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 33
  9. Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate.
    • a tender subject
    • Things that are tender and unpleasing.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Cunning”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
  10. Heeling over too easily when under sail; said of a vessel.
  11. (obsolete) Exciting kind concern; dear; precious.
    • I love Valentine,
      Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
  12. (obsolete) Careful to keep inviolate, or not to injure; used with of.
    • tender of property1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], →OCLC
    • The civil authority should be tender of the honour of God and religion.a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion to Societies

Noun (1)

tender (countable and uncountable, plural tenders)

  1. (obsolete) Care, kind concern, regard.
    • Stay, and breath awhile.
      Thou haſt redeem'd thy loſt opinion
      And ſhew'd thou makeſt ſome tender of my life
      In this faire reſcue thou haſt brought to mee.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
  2. The inner flight muscle (pectoralis minor) of poultry.

Adverb

tender (comparative more tender, superlative most tender)

  1. tenderly
    • Love me tender, love me sweet
      Never let me go1956, Ken Darby, “Love Me Tender”, performed by Elvis Presley

Verb (1)

tender (third-person singular simple present tenders, present participle tendering, simple past and past participle tendered)

  1. (archaic) To make tender or delicate; to weaken.
    • To such as are wealthy, live plenteously, at ease, […] these viands are to be forborne, if they be inclined to, or suspect melancholy, as they tender their healths […]., vol.I, New York, 2001, p.233
    • Putnam Fadeless Dyes will not injure any material. Boiling water does tender some materials. […] Also, silk fibers are very tender when wet and care should be take not to boil them too vigorously.c. 1947, Putnam Fadeless Dyes [flyer packaged with granulated dye]
  2. (archaic) To feel tenderly towards; to regard fondly or with consideration.
    • The angrie king hath banished me the court:
      And therefore as thou louest and tendrest me,
      Be thou my aduocate vnto these peeres.1594, Christopher Marlow[e], The Troublesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England: […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press] for Henry Bell, […], published 1622, →OCLC...
    • Firſt, heauen be the record to my ſpeech,
      In the deuotion of a ſubiects loue,
      Tendering the precious ſafetie of my Prince,
      And free from other misbegotten hate,
      Come I appealant to rhis [sic] Princely preſence.1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to...

Noun (2)

tender (plural tenders)

  1. A specialized rail wagon hauled behind a steam engine to carry fuel and water.
    • Half the coal was out of the tender, half the fire out of the box, half the trucks were off the track, so violent was the stopping.1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XII, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 201
    • Of locomotive interest was "an engine house for spare engines which was about 60 ft. × 51 ft.; on the outside of this was an immense turntable sufficient to turn the engine and tender at once."1944 July and August, Reginald B. Fellows, “The Failure of Bricklayers Arms as a Passenger Station—I”, in Railway Magazine, page 211
  2. A naval ship that functions as a mobile base for other ships.
    • submarine tender
    • destroyer tender
  3. A smaller boat used for transportation between a large ship and the shore.
    • The transfer by tender of some 1,300 mail bags was effected smartly, and the "Ocean Mails Special" train was ready at 9.19 a.m.1944 July and August, Charles E. Lee, “The "City of Truro"”, in Railway Magazine, page 202
    • A passenger on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth died this week following an accident while boarding from a tender (the small boats that carry passengers from ship to shore or port when the cruise ship anchors at sea). […] Gangway ramps can, on occasion, break free of either the ship or the tender, causing...2015 April 1, Teresa Machan, “Queen Elizabeth passenger dies boarding a cruise ship tender [print version: Queen Elizabeth passenger dies after boarding mishap, 4 April 2015, p. T5]”, in The Daily...
    Synonyms:
    dinghy
  4. A member of a diving team who assists a diver during a dive but does not themselves go underwater.
    • Now, with scallop populations under pressure, Mr. Sewell is one of only about 30 active scallop divers left in his state. He and his tender, Jason Simmons, have harvested scallops together each winter and early spring for the past seven years. The rest of the year he catches bluefin tuna and dives...2015 August 18, Christoph Gelfand, “'Diving for Scallops'”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 Dec 2022
    • The first of two willful violations OSHA found were the diver and dive tender "performing dredging operations in a canal with zero-visibility, did not have the experience and training in the use of tools, equipment, systems, techniques, and emergency procedures which are required to perform these...2022 October 19, David J. Neal, “Broward company 'ignored safety standards and a young worker has died,' OSHA says”, in Miami Herald, Miami, F.L.: McClatchy, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original...
  5. (archaic outside certain compounds) Someone who tends or waits on something or someone.

Verb (2)

tender (third-person singular simple present tenders, present participle tendering, simple past and past participle tendered)

  1. To work on a tender.
    • Meantime, I'll dig up what I can, but if they start fishing again, I start tendering.1998, Dana Stabenow, Killing Grounds, →ISBN, page 103

Noun (3)

tender (plural tenders)

  1. Anything which is offered, proffered, put forth or bid with the expectation of a response, answer, or reply.
    • You offer me the sword of my father, the very man whose bones, because of your perfidy, lie under the sod of Crecy. Aye, I'll surely take it, and just as surely you shall die with your tender through your heart!
    • Ophe[lia]. He hath my Lord of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me. / Pol[onius]. Affection, puh, you ſpeake like a greene girle / Vnſifted in ſuch perrilous circumſtance, / Do you belieue his tenders as you call them? / Ophe. I doe not knovve my Lord vvhat I ſhould thinke. / Pol. Marry...c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604...
  2. A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card.
    • Your credit card has been declined so you need to provide some other tender such as cash.
    • legal tender
  3. A formal offer to buy or sell something.
    • We will submit our tender to you within the week.
  4. Any offer or proposal made for acceptance.
    • [...] if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very possible he'll scorn it; for the man,—as you know all,—hath a contemptible spirit.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...

Verb (3)

tender (third-person singular simple present tenders, present participle tendering, simple past and past participle tendered)

  1. (formal) To offer, to give.
    • to tender one’s resignation
    • You see how all conditions, how all minds, […] tender down
      Their services to Lord Timon.c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
  2. To offer a payment, as at sales or auctions; to bid.

Also used as

tender is also the ellipsis of water tender.

tender meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

tender in Hindi

means of payment
निविदा nividā
law: an offer to buy or sell something
निविदा nividā

tender in Tamil

டெண்டர்

tender in Marathi

निविदा, निविदापत्र, निविदेची निविदा

tender in Urdu

ٹینڈر, ٹینڈر کریں, ٹینڈر کرنا
More languagesFewer languages
tender in Bengali
দরপত্র, টেন্ডার, দরপত্র দেওয়া
tender in Telugu
టెండర్, టెండర్ చేయడానికి
tender in Malayalam
ടെൻഡർ, ടെൻഡർ ചെയ്യുക, ടെൻഡർ ചെയ്യുന്നു
tender in Kannada
ಟೆಂಡರ್, ಟೆಂಡರ್ ಮಾಡಲು
tender in Punjabi
ਟੈਂਡਰ, ਟੈਂਡਰ ਕਰੋ, ਟੈਂਡਰ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ
tender in Gujarati
ટેન્ડર, ટેન્ડર કરવા માટે
tender in Odia
ଟେଣ୍ଡର୍, ଦରପତ୍ର, ଟେଣ୍ଡର
tender in Sanskrit
कोमल komala, मृदु mṛdu
tender in Nepali
टेन्डर, निविदा, टेन्डर गर्न
tender in Malay
sebut harga, tender
tender in Indonesian
tender
tender in Persian
ترد tord
tender in Myanmar
တင်ဒါ tangda

Examples of tender in a sentence

  • The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, James 5:11:
  • For I am Cholerick by my Nature, and tender by my Temper, and have not been acquainted vvith Sickneſſe all my life time.1645, Thomas Fuller, “Personall Meditations”, in Good Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt, →OCLC, section II, page 3:
  • The court later expressly adopted the tender years doctrine, which states that a child is incapable of contributory negligence if he is less than seven years old[…].2001 October 15, Appeals Court of Illinios (Second District) in Appelhans v. McFall
  • He and his tender, Jason Simmons, have harvested scallops together each winter and early spring for the past seven years.2015 August 18, Christoph Gelfand, “'Diving for Scallops'”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN...

All 40 example sentences with tender

Synonyms of tender

Forms of tender

Adjective
comparativetenderer
superlativetenderest
Noun
pluraltenders
Adverb
comparativemore tender
superlativemost tender
Verb
third-person singular presenttenders
present participletendering
past participletendered
pasttendered

Past tense of tender: tendered

Plural of tender: tenders

Origin of tender

From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tendre, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).

From Middle English tender, tendur, tendir, tendre, from the adjective (see above).

From Middle English tendren, from the adjective (see above).

Words formed from tender

Phrases with tender

Words that rhyme with tender

24 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about tender

What does tender mean?
Tender means sensitive or painful to the touch.
What is tender in Hindi?
Tender in Hindi is निविदा (nividā). See Tender meaning in Hindi.
How do you use tender in a sentence?
The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
What part of speech is tender?
Tender can be an adjective, a noun, an adverb or a verb.
How do you pronounce tender?
Tender is pronounced /ˈtɛn.dəː/ (UK).

Words near tender in the dictionary

  1. tendentious
  2. tendentiously
  3. tendentiousness
  4. tendentiousnesses
  5. Tendenz
  6. tender
  7. tender cab
  8. tender cabs
  9. tender engine
  10. tender engines
  11. tender loving care

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: tender (page history and authors); tender (Tamil, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Urdu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Bengali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Malayalam, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Kannada, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); tender (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-tender.ogg.

Cite this entry: “tender.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/tender. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.