stress

1 of 2

noun

ˈstres 

1

: constraining force or influence: such as

a

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

reduce stress and inflammation

stress hormones

Body aches … are a sign that your body is … recovering from a period of stress.

—Heidi Cope

b

: a state resulting from a stress

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

job-related stress

… compelling evidence that interacting with dogs can reduce stress …

—Sandra Rose Salathe

c

: strain, pressure

drought stress

… the environment is under stress to the point of collapse …

—Joseph Shoben

Expanding energy planning … will be critical to help reduce demand and relieve the stress on the grid …

—Benjamin Storrow

d

: 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

… engineers found more than 100 locations where the stresses of reentry damaged the heat shield.

—Eric Berger

e

: the deformation caused in a body by such a force

a stress fracture

To reduce the amount of stress on your back, bend your knees when you lift something heavy.

2

: emphasis, weight

lay stress on a point

Mr. Fagin laid great stress on the fact of his having taken Oliver in …

—Charles Dickens

3

: intensity of utterance given to a speech sound, syllable, or word producing relative loudness

The stress is on the first syllable when "protest" is a noun.

4

a

: relative force or prominence of sound in verse

These stress patterns are defined in groupings, called feet, of two or three syllables.

—Bennet Bergman

b

: a syllable having relative force or prominence

5

: accent sense 5a

In a measure of 4/4 meter, the first beat will have the strongest stress …

—Joe Mulholland and Tom Hojnacki

6

archaic : intense effort or exertion

stress

2 of 2

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

Noun

• pressure
• strain
• tension

Verb

• worry

Examples of stress in a Sentence

Noun

She uses meditation as a way of reducing stress.

Hormones are released into the body in response to emotional stress.

She is dealing with the stresses of working full-time and going to school.

He talked about the stresses and strains of owning a business.

Carrying a heavy backpack around all day puts a lot of stress on your shoulders and back.

To reduce the amount of stress on your back, bend your knees when you lift something heavy.

The ship's mast snapped under the stress of high winds.

measuring the effects of stresses on the material

Verb

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

Noun

More often, the two collide, amplifying stress, clouding judgment, and raising the stakes for every decision. —Kathryn Landis, Harvard Business Review, 13 Nov. 2025

Pelvic floor dysfunction can be caused by a variety of factors, including pregnancy and childbirth, aging, obesity, connective tissue disorders, nerve damage, stress, anxiety, or physical trauma to the pelvic floor. —Sara Braun, Sacbee.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Verb

Here, Jocasta’s brother, Creon (John Carroll Lynch), is Oedipus’s top adviser and speechwriter, constantly stressed by the charismatic candidate’s tendency to go off book. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

Each year a slew of reports are published to coincide with COP, stressing the huge impact of extreme weather on African countries while pointing out that the continent only contributes about 4% of global carbon emissions. —Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stresse stress, distress, short for destresse — more at distress

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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