tend to, tend towards

The verb tend may be followed by the preposition to or towards.

Tend to, followed by an infinitive, means “to be likely to, to be inclined to”:

• Nurses tend to get to know the patients better than the doctors do.
• Susan is inclined to be brusque when her opinions are questioned.

Tend towards is followed by a noun and means “to have a tendency towards”:

• Alan tends towards exaggeration in describing his adventures.