[
UK
/tˈɛns/
]
[ US /ˈtɛns/ ]
[ US /ˈtɛns/ ]
ADJECTIVE
- in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
- pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
-
taut or rigid; stretched tight
tense piano strings
VERB
-
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 -
become stretched or tense or taut
the rope strained when the weight was attached
the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed -
cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
NOUN
- a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
How To Use tense In A Sentence
- The stable oily liquid, which absorbs intense heat, was used as a coolant for electrical transformers and capacitors.
- Possibly one of the most compassionate pieces of music ever made, it asks us, no, arranges that we see the plight of what I'll be brutal and call a lovelorn drag queen with such intense empathy that when the singer hurts him, we do too. Archive 2009-02-01
- Not sure I can visualise the little carts – but the multitude of vibrant flowers described with intense joy opened a triumphal way to the vision of that extraordinary gypsy lady whose beauty and style impressed you so much. Gens du voyage - French Word-A-Day
- A senior paediatrician who works with such families compared it to the intense love a besotted parent feels for an entirely helpless newborn. Times, Sunday Times
- Skirting the village, the group crossed a little canal and came under intense mortar fire.
- Everything grows very slowly there and all northern hemisphere herbs are grown under shade cloth - the herbs can't manage the intense dry heat of midsummer.
- Individuals can respond to these experiences with intense fear, horror or a sense of helplessness.
- The trouble is getting tense often just makes matters worse. The Sun
- enemy fire was intense
- Typical mesocyclonic tornadoes are caused by intense thunderstorms with appropriate vertical and directional wind shear. The Volokh Conspiracy » Pathogens in Harm’s Way:
