attend

To attend something means to be present at an event, meeting, or place, usually because you are meant to be there and engage with what is happening. You might attend a concert with friends, attend a business conference for work, or attend school regularly as a student. You can also attend to a sick family member—meaning you take care of them. It is more than just showing up; it also carries a sense of paying attention and responsibility. In older usage, people could attend a monarch or dignitary, meaning they were in service.

To attend means to be present at a specific event, place, or activity, often with the intention of participating in it. For example, "She will attend the conference next week" means she plans to be there and take part in it.

The verb also appears in related uses with to. Attend to someone usually means to care for them: "The nurse attended to the patient immediately." Attend to a task means to handle a responsibility: "I have some urgent matters to attend to."

Historically, attend comes from the Old French attendre and the Latin attendere (“to stretch toward, pay attention”), which helps explain both senses of being present and directing attention or care.

You will also see the noun form, attendance, used for the number of people present at an event: "The conference had excellent attendance."

So whether you are showing up for a meeting, handling a task, or caring for a person, attend usually means being present and actively involved, not merely physically there.