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tense

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verb

as in to tighten
to draw tight he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples of tense in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The Rams held on for a tense 21-13 victory over Air Force, turning the 125-mile journey into something of a joy ride. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2024 The two repeatedly spoke over each other making for tense exchanges throughout the nearly thirty-minute segment. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
Bader’s neck tensed up after an awkward collision with the outfield wall Tuesday night and he’s considered day-to-day. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 3 July 2024 Prosecutors say Brito resisted arrest by swinging his arms and tensing up in a struggle that brought him and an NYPD lieutenant to the ground. Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tense 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tense.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near tense

Cite this Entry

“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tense. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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