Definition

1. Noun:

   • A general direction in which something is developing or changing: A trend indicates the prevailing course or drift of events, opinions, or styles over time.
   • A current style or preference: A trend can refer to a popular fashion, idea, or activity that is widely followed for a period.
   • A line of general direction or movement: This can describe the geographical orientation or course of something, like a coastline or a river.

2. Verb:

   • To change or develop in a general direction: To trend means to show a tendency to move, change, or incline in a particular way over time.
   • To turn sharply; to veer: This is a less common but valid usage meaning to change direction abruptly.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • There is a growing trend towards remote work. (This shows a general direction of change in work habits.)
  • Minimalist design is a major trend in home decor this year. (This refers to a current popular style.)
  • The trend of the coastline is from north to south. (This describes the geographical orientation.)

• Verb:

  • Public opinion is trending in favor of environmental policies. (This shows a development in a general direction.)
  • The path trends eastward as it enters the forest. (This indicates the path's general direction.)
  • The car's tires lost traction, and it trended off the road. (This uses the less common meaning of veering.)

Advanced Usage

• "To set a trend": to start a new fashion or pattern that others follow.

  • The tech company set a trend with its innovative smartphone design.

• "To buck the trend": to act contrary to a prevailing tendency.

  • While most stores are struggling, this small business is bucking the trend and growing.

• "A downward/upward trend": a general movement towards lower or higher levels.

  • Economists are concerned about the downward trend in manufacturing jobs.

Variants and Related Words

• Trendy (adjective): very fashionable or up-to-date.

  • That café is in a trendy part of the city.

• Trendsetter (noun): a person or thing that establishes a new trend or fashion.

  • She is considered a trendsetter in the fashion industry.

• Trendline (noun): a line on a graph showing the general course or tendency of a set of data.

  • The analyst drew a trendline to predict future sales.

Synonyms

• Tendency: an inclination towards a particular characteristic or type of behavior.
• Direction: the course along which something moves or develops.
• Vogue: the prevailing fashion or style at a particular time.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Trend toward/towards: to show a tendency to develop in a particular direction.
  • Modern architecture trends towards simplicity and open spaces.

Related Idioms

• "Go against the trend": to act in opposition to what is popular or common.

  • By opening a physical bookstore, they decided to go against the trend of online shopping.

• "Catch the trend": to understand and follow a new popular style.

  • You need to catch the trend early to succeed in that market.

Noun

1. the popular taste at a given time
   • leather is the latest vogue
   • he followed current trends
   • the 1920s had a style of their own
2. a general tendency to change (as of opinion)
   • not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book
   • a broad movement of the electorate to the right
3. general line of orientation
   • the river takes a southern course
   • the northeastern trend of the coast
4. a general direction in which something tends to move
   • the shoreward tendency of the current
   • the trend of the stock market

Verb

1. turn sharply; change direction abruptly
   • The car cut to the left at the intersection
   • The motorbike veered to the right