stress

verb

stressed; stressing; stresses

transitive verb

1

: to lay stress on : to give special attention to : emphasize

stressed the importance of teamwork

… the governor and her team have both continued to stress the need for infrastructure …

—Dave Boucher

Musicians most often create syncopation by stressing an off‐beat …

—Michael Pilhofer and Holly Day

2

informal : to experience bodily or mental tension because of a situation, circumstances, etc. : to be worried or anxious about something

The situation is really stressing me.

—often used with out

Don't let it stress you out.

3

: to subject to physical or psychological stress

stressing the equipment

this traffic is stressing me out

4

: to subject to phonetic stress : to pronounce (a syllable or word) in a louder or more forceful way than other syllables or words : accent

stressed vowels

intransitive verb

: to feel stress

stressing about the big exam

Try not to stress about it.

—often used with out

It's making me stress out.

Synonyms of stress

• worry

Examples of stress in a Sentence

The union stressed the need for stricter safety standards.

The risks involved in the procedure should be stressed.

Some people stress the second syllable of “harassment,” while others stress the first.

When she said, “We need lots of money,” she stressed the word “lots.”

It's not an important decision and it isn't worth stressing over.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sometimes, excessive meowing can be a sign that your cat is stressed or in pain. —Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 4 June 2026

But Jill Biden stressed that honesty was the foundation. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 4 June 2026

The coach stressed the importance of the bench in a tournament such as the World Cup. —Miami Herald, 4 June 2026

The plaintiffs stressed that the detention center had been put in a freshwater wetland near Everglades National Park, a pristine ecosystem inhabited by dozens of threatened or endangered species and not far from a Miccosukee village. —Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Phrases Containing stress

• anti-stress
• de-stress
• lay great stress/emphasis on
• lay/put stress on
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• sentence stress
• storm and stress
• stress ball
• stress fracture
• stress incontinence
• stress management
• stress mark
• stress test
• under stress
• word stress

Rhymes for stress

• bless
• chess
• cress
• dress
• es
• ess
• esse
• fess
• guess
• jess
• less
• lesse

Kids Definition

stress

1 of 2 noun

ˈstres 

1

a

: a force that acts when one body or part of a body presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to squeeze or twist another body or part of a body

b

: the change in shape caused in a body by such a force

c

: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be involved in causing some diseases

also : a state of tension resulting from a stress

2

: special importance given to something : emphasis, weight

lay stress on a point

3

: relative force or loudness of sound

"finally" has the stress on the first syllable

4

: accent entry 1 sense 4

stressless

-ləs

adjective

stress

2 of 2 verb

1

: to subject to physical or emotional stress

stressing the equipment

this traffic is stressing me out

2

: to pronounce with stress

stress the last syllable

3

: emphasize

stressed the importance of teamwork

4

: to feel stress

stressing about the big test

Medical Definition

stress

1 of 2 noun

ˈstres 

1

a

: a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part

especially : the intensity of this mutual force commonly expressed in pounds per square inch

b

: the deformation caused in a body by such a force

2

a

: a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation

b

: a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium

3

: the force exerted between teeth of the upper and lower jaws during mastication

stress

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to subject to stress

a patient stressed by surgery