Definition of Tense
Noun: tense ten(t)s
- A grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
- Become stretched, tense or taut
"the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed";
- strain
- Increase the tension on
"alternately relax and tense your calf muscle"; "tense the rope manually before tensing the spring"
- Become tense, nervous, or uneasy
"He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room";
- tense up
- Cause to be tense and uneasy, nervous or anxious
"he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up";
- strain, tense up
- In or of a state of physical or nervous tension
- (phonetics) pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in 'beat')
- Taut or rigid; stretched tight
"tense piano strings"
Anagrams containing the word tense