tender
gb/tˈɛndɚ/ us/tˈɛndɚ/
A2
Engleză
~ 6800
Sensuri
0 sensuri
adjective
B2
property
1
gentle and loving in manner
Gentle, kind, and loving in how you act or speak.
Tipar de utilizare:
a tender [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use "soft" instead of "tender" for emotions (e.g. *a soft moment*). "Soft" usually describes physical texture or personality weakness, while "tender" focuses on gentle, caring feelings.
Sinonime
gentle (Stresses softness and mildness rather than emotional warmth.)
|
affectionate (Emphasizes openly showing love or fondness, often more physical or demonstrative.)
Antonime
harsh (Describes behavior or words that are rough, unkind, or severe instead of soft and caring.)
Colocații
tender moment
|tender smile
|tender touch
|tender words
|tender embrace
Teme
emotions
|relationships
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- He gave her hand a tender squeeze before leaving.
- They shared a tender moment on the balcony as the sun went down.
- Her letter is full of tender memories of their childhood.
- The movie ends with a tender scene between father and son.
- She spoke in a tender voice so as not to upset the child.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He gave the baby a tender kiss.
- They had a tender talk about their future.
- Her tender smile made him feel safe.
- The story ends with a tender hug.
- She wrote a tender note to say thank you.
adjective
B1
property
2
painful or sore when touched
Hurting or feeling sore when you touch it.
Tipar de utilizare:
[something] is tender
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "tender" with "weak" in this sense. "Weak" means not strong, but does not always include pain. "Tender" here specifically suggests soreness or pain when touched.
Sinonime
sore (More general word for painful, not always only when touched.)
Antonime
painless (Describes something that does not cause pain or discomfort.)
Colocații
tender spot
|tender ankle
|tender muscles
|still tender
|tender to the touch
Teme
health
|body
|daily_life
Exemple
- My ankle is still tender from when I twisted it last week.
- The area around the cut is quite tender to the touch.
- Her gums were tender after the dental surgery.
- This shoulder is less tender today, so I can move it more easily.
- Press gently; the bruise is very tender.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- My knee is tender after the fall.
- The skin around the burn is tender.
- His tooth is tender when he eats.
- Her arm is tender where she got the shot.
- The cut is still tender, so be careful.
adjective
A2
property
3
soft and easy to chew food
Soft and easy to chew, usually about cooked food.
Tipar de utilizare:
[food] is tender
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes say *"the meat is soft"* when they mean it is pleasant to eat. Native speakers usually say "the meat is tender" for this positive meaning; "soft" can sound strange for meat.
Sinonime
soft (More general and less specific to food; can describe many textures.)
Antonime
tough (Describes food that is hard to cut or chew.)
Colocații
tender meat
|tender steak
|cook until tender
|juicy and tender
|tender vegetables
Teme
food
|cooking
|daily_life
|food_drink
Exemple
- The chicken was so tender it almost fell off the bone.
- Simmer the carrots for twenty minutes, or until they are tender.
- This steak is wonderfully tender and full of flavor.
- She likes her pasta just tender, not too soft.
- The slow cooking makes even cheap cuts of meat tender.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The meat is very tender.
- Cook the beans until they are tender.
- I like my steak tender, not tough.
- The fish was fresh and tender.
- The potatoes are tender now; dinner is ready.
Verb
formal
C1
action
4
formally offer or present something
To officially offer or give something, like a letter, apology, or price for work.
Tipar de utilizare:
to tender [something] to [someone]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may overuse "tender" for everyday offers (e.g. *tender a sandwich*). In normal conversation, use "give" or "offer". Use "tender" mainly in formal or official contexts like business, law, or government.
Sinonime
submit (Neutral; does not always carry the same formal or ceremonial tone.)
|
offer (More general and less formal; used in many everyday situations.)
Antonime
withdraw (Opposite in the context of offers or bids: to take back instead of giving or presenting.)
Colocații
tender a resignation
|tender an apology
|tender a bid
|tender payment
|tender one's resignation
Teme
business
|law
|work
|communication
Exemple
- He formally tendered his resignation to the board on Monday.
- Several companies have tendered bids for the construction project.
- The company has tendered an offer to buy back its own shares.
- They refused to tender payment until the work was completed.
- The minister stood up to tender an apology to the families affected.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He tendered his resignation in a short letter.
- Three firms tendered bids for the new road.
- The company tendered an offer to buy the land.
- She tendered an apology after the mistake.
- They tendered payment as soon as they got the bill.
Substantiv
formal
C1
entity
5
formal bid for work or supply
A formal written offer to do a job or sell something for a set price, usually in business or government.
Tipar de utilizare:
a tender for [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse "tender" with "tender offer" (a special financial term) or use "tender" for informal offers between friends. In business English, a "tender" is a formal, usually written offer in a structured process, not an everyday suggestion or price.
Sinonime
bid (More general and slightly less formal; widely used in auctions and business contexts.)
Antonime
offer rejection (Refers to the act of refusing a tender, the opposite outcome of accepting it.)
Colocații
submit a tender
|invite tenders
|put the project out to tender
|winning tender
|competitive tender
|public tender
Teme
business
|government
|economics
|work
|law
Exemple
- Over twenty companies submitted tenders for the bridge project.
- The council has put the cleaning contract out to tender.
- Their tender was the lowest, but not the most attractive overall.
- All tenders must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday.
- The firm won the tender to supply computers to local schools.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Five firms sent in a tender for the job.
- The city asked for tenders to build the new park.
- Their tender was too high, so they did not get the work.
- We are preparing a tender for the road project.
- All tenders must arrive before the deadline.
adjective
B2
property
6
delicate and needing careful handling
Easy to damage or hurt and needing careful treatment.
Tipar de utilizare:
tender [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may mix this sense with the "sore" sense and say "my tender skin" when they mean it hurts. "Tender skin" can mean either easily damaged or currently sore; use context or add words ("my skin is very tender after the burn") to be clear.
Sinonime
delicate (Highlights fragility or fineness; not always about youth or growth.)
Antonime
hardy (Especially about plants or organisms that are strong and can survive difficult conditions.)
Colocații
tender plants
|tender seedlings
|tender young leaves
|tender age
|tender skin
Teme
nature
|health
|descriptions
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Exemple
- These are tender plants and should be kept indoors until the frost has passed.
- Handle the tender seedlings carefully when you move them to larger pots.
- At that tender age, children can be easily influenced.
- Her skin is quite tender, so she burns in the sun very quickly.
- The doctor said his back is still in a tender state after the surgery.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- You must protect these tender plants from the cold.
- The baby’s skin is very tender.
- At that tender age, children need a lot of care.
- Be gentle with the tender roots of the tree.
- Young leaves are tender and easy to break.
Substantiv
C1
entity
7
small service boat for a ship
A small boat that takes people or things between land and a bigger boat or ship.
Tipar de utilizare:
a tender for [a ship]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse this with "ferry". A "tender" usually serves one specific larger ship, while a "ferry" runs on a regular public route between two places.
Sinonime
launch (A more technical nautical term; not always used for regular service boats.)
Antonime
mothership (The main, larger vessel that the tender serves, opposite in size and role.)
Colocații
ship's tender
|take the tender ashore
|harbor tender
|passenger tender
Teme
transport
|travel
|sea
|transportation
Exemple
- Passengers were taken ashore by tender because the ship was too large to dock.
- We waited on deck for the tender to return from the port.
- The yacht’s tender is stored on the upper deck when not in use.
- A small tender ferries supplies out to the research vessel each morning.
- During rough weather, the captain suspended tender operations for safety.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- We used a tender to go from the big ship to the beach.
- The tender takes food and water to the main boat.
- The ship’s tender is tied to the side of the ship.
- They got on the tender to go to the island.
- The tender brings passengers back to the cruise ship.
Substantiv
informal
B1
entity
8
fried strip of chicken meat
A small piece or strip of chicken, often covered in crumbs and fried.
Tipar de utilizare:
chicken tenders
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think "tender" here is the normal adjective and say *"I ate a tender chicken"*. In fast-food English, "tenders" is a noun that means small chicken pieces, usually in the plural: "chicken tenders".
Sinonime
chicken strips (Very close in meaning; more descriptive and common in some restaurant menus.)
Antonime
whole chicken (Contrasts with a small processed strip; refers to the bird as a whole piece of meat.)
Colocații
chicken tenders
|order tenders
|fried tenders
|grilled tenders
|kids' meal tenders
Teme
food
|restaurants
|daily_life
|food_drink
Exemple
- She ordered chicken tenders and fries for the kids.
- The restaurant serves spicy tenders with three different dipping sauces.
- I’ll have a salad and a side of grilled tenders, please.
- These homemade chicken tenders are baked, not fried.
- He dipped a tender into the barbecue sauce and took a big bite.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- We ate chicken tenders for lunch.
- The kids like tenders with ketchup.
- I ordered three tenders and a drink.
- These chicken tenders are very crispy.
- She cooked tenders in the oven.
Substantiv
technical
C1
entity
9
money that must be accepted by law
Official money that the law says people must accept to pay a debt, usually called "legal tender".
Tipar de utilizare:
legal tender
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use "tender" alone to mean money in general. In modern English, this sense almost always appears in the fixed phrase "legal tender".
Sinonime
currency (General word for money used in a country; not all currency has the specific legal status of legal tender in all situations.)
Antonime
invalid currency (Refers to money that cannot legally be used to pay debts, opposite in legal status.)
Colocații
legal tender
|no longer legal tender
|become legal tender
|not recognized as legal tender
Teme
law
|economics
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- These old notes are no longer legal tender.
- The new coin will become legal tender from January 1st.
- In most countries, only the national currency is legal tender for everyday debts.
- Foreign banknotes are not legal tender here, although some shops may accept them.
- The contract specifies payment in a form of legal tender accepted in the EU.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- These coins are still legal tender in this country.
- The old money is not legal tender now.
- You must pay in legal tender, not in foreign coins.
- The new banknote is legal tender from today.
- Shops do not have to take money that is not legal tender.
Substantiv
technical
C2
entity
10
rail car for locomotive fuel and water
A train car behind a steam engine that holds the coal and water.
Tipar de utilizare:
a tender behind [a locomotive]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think this "tender" is related to "tender" meaning soft or gentle. In railway use, the word is a fixed technical term for the fuel-and-water car, not about softness.
Sinonime
fuel car (Descriptive but less standard; stresses the role of carrying fuel.)
Antonime
passenger car (Contrasts with a tender by function: carries people rather than fuel or water.)
Colocații
locomotive and tender
|coal tender
|water tender
|steam locomotive tender
Teme
transport
|technology
|history
|transportation
Exemple
- The old steam locomotive and its tender are displayed in the railway museum.
- Workers loaded coal into the tender before the train set off.
- The tender carried enough water for several hours of continuous running.
- In the model train set, the tender is fixed to the back of the engine.
- They restored the original tender to match the historic locomotive.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The steam engine pulls a tender full of coal.
- Behind the locomotive is a tender with water.
- The museum shows an old train with its tender.
- Workers filled the tender before the train left.
- The tender is part of the old steam train.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
tender
IPA
GB/tˈɛndɚ/
US/tˈɛndɚ/
Silabe și accent
tender (1 silabă)
Stress on 1st syllable (tender)
Forme ale cuvântului
Adjective
- Base: tender
- Comparative: tenderer
- Superlative: tenderest
Noun
- Base: tender
- Plural: tenders
Verb
- Base: tender
- 3rd Person Singular: tenders
- Present Participle: tendering
- Past: tendered
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
tenders
noun
tendering
verb
tendered
verb
tenderer
adjective
tenderest
adjective
Core family
tenderly
adverb B1
tenderness
noun B1
Related words
tenderize
verb
tenderizer
noun
Advanced or less common
tenderization
noun
Expresii
at the tender age of
2/ˈæt ðə tˈɛndɚ ˈeɪd͡ʒ əv/
fixed phrase
at a very young age
Used to say that someone did something when they were very young.
Exemple
- She started playing the piano at the tender age of four.
- He moved abroad alone at the tender age of sixteen.
- At the tender age of eight, she had already written her first story.
go out to tender
8/ɡˈoʊ ˈaʊt tə tˈɛndɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
enter the formal bidding process
When a project or contract is officially opened for companies to send formal offers.
Exemple
- The rail upgrade will go out to tender later this year.
- The project has gone out to tender, and responses are due in May.
- Once the work goes out to tender, we expect strong interest from major firms.
legal tender
4/lˈiɡəl tˈɛndɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
money officially accepted by law
Money that the law says people must accept if someone uses it to pay a debt.
Exemple
- In this country, only the national currency is legal tender.
- These old coins are no longer legal tender.
- The new banknote will become legal tender next month.
put [something] out to tender
6/pˈʊt sˈʌmθɪŋ ˈaʊt tə tˈɛndɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
invite formal bids for a contract
To officially ask companies to send formal written offers to do work or sell goods or services.
Exemple
- The government has put the new hospital project out to tender.
- They plan to put the cleaning contract out to tender next month.
- All major construction work must be put out to tender under the new rules.
submit a tender
7/sʌbmˈɪt ə tˈɛndɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
send in a formal bid
To send an official written offer to do work or sell goods at a set price.
Exemple
- More than fifty companies submitted tenders for the airport contract.
- We decided not to submit a tender because the deadline was too tight.
- Firms have until Friday to submit their tenders.
tender loving care
1/tˈɛndɚ lˈʌvɪŋ kˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
extra gentle and caring treatment
Very kind, gentle care, especially to help someone or something become better or healthier.
Exemple
- That plant looks half dead, but with a little tender loving care it might recover.
- The old house needs some tender loving care before anyone can live in it again.
- After the accident, the puppy needed a lot of tender loving care.
tender offer
9/tˈɛndɚ ˈɔfɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
formal offer to buy company shares
A formal public offer to buy a lot of shares in a company at a set price, usually to gain control of the company.
Exemple
- The company’s stock jumped after a rival announced a tender offer.
- Shareholders have thirty days to respond to the tender offer.
- The board advised investors to reject the hostile tender offer.
tender years
5/tˈɛndɚ jˈɪɹz/
fixed phrase
formal
very young age, especially of a child
A formal way to talk about someone’s very young age.
Exemple
- Despite his tender years, he showed remarkable maturity.
- She was already performing on stage in her tender years.
- The school focuses on supporting children in their tender years.
tender-hearted
3/tˈɛndɚ hˈɑɹtɪd/
fixed phrase
kind and easily moved to pity
Very kind and easily hurt by sad things; feeling strong pity for others.
Exemple
- She’s too tender-hearted to watch horror films with a lot of suffering.
- He may look tough, but he’s really quite tender-hearted.
- Only the most tender-hearted people volunteer at the shelter every weekend.