a general tendency in the way a situation is changing or developing

趋势，趋向，倾向，动向

Lately there has been a trend towards hiring younger, cheaper employees.

最近有一种趋势，是雇用较年轻、薪酬较低的雇员。

recent trends in education

教育的最新动向

The current trend is towards more part-time employment.

当前的趋势是越来越多地雇用兼职人员。

the general trend towards the centralization of political power

政权中央集权化的普遍趋势

A disturbing trend is that victims of violence are getting younger.

暴力行为的受害者越来越年轻，这是令人担忧的一种趋势。

The growing trend is for single mothers to bring up children by themselves.

单身母亲独自抚养孩子的趋势在增长。

Even so, the underlying trend is positive.

尽管如此，基本趋势仍是乐观的。

national and international economic trends

国内和国际的经济趋势

the downward trend in the price of gold

黄金价格的下滑势头

Successive presidents have tried to reverse this trend , but without success.

连续几任总统都试图扭转这一趋势，但均未成功。

set the trend, to start doing something that other people copy

开创潮流:

Larger corporations are setting the trend for better maternity benefits.

较大的公司在开创新风，提供更好的生育福利。