Synonyms
Examples of tense in a Sentence
CBS News, 25 Nov. 2023
Additionally, your jaw is not as tense, which changes the visibility of it and creates a slimmer appearance.
—Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour, 22 Nov. 2023
In a tense moment on a Lisbon train platform, one traveler learned just how critical this one’s zipper could be.
—Sarah Khan, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
There’s also a bananas foster flambé in that segment, which was so stressful to shoot, because working with live fire on set can be tense.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023
After all, getting ready for a dance — asking someone out, being fitted for formal wear — is exciting and tense for any young adult.
—Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
During a tense family moment, consider taking a step back to allow both parties a moment to cool off.
—Chanda Reynolds, Essence, 15 Nov. 2023
In Psychology highlighted the importance of healthy communication in a relationship, not just in tense moments like a fight or an emergency but also when experiencing good times like a promotion or a romantic vacation.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Her decision to turn in her diamond came after a tense season 10, during which the actress found herself at odds with nearly all of her costars.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023
Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
Medicine ball fight The final ab-conditioning exercise is a bit of a curveball—or medicine ball, to be exact—and involves simply throwing themselves onto medicine balls, tensing the core as much as possible prior to impact.
—Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 13 Aug. 2023
Altruism is a daily practice, a muscle waiting to be tensed and strengthened.
—Lori Keong, ELLE Decor, 12 Apr. 2023
Both officers moved to handcuff the teenager, who tensed his arms and tried to resist the restraints as police moved him in front of a patrol wagon, according to the report.
—Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
Another primary way stress impacts our vaginal health is by tensing and restricting our pelvic floor muscles.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 27 July 2023
This can help stretch the muscles in the back of your neck that may be tensing up during prodrome.
—Julia Ries, SELF, 14 July 2023
Anxiety tenses the body—attempting to control a motion can limit the degrees of freedom in a joint.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 12 June 2023
Mike Brosseau was called a ball with one out in the third, Jameson seemed to tense up on the mound, prompting Lovullo to start barking at Morales from the dugout.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2023
Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
While her son speaks of his sister in the present tense, Crawford often uses the past tense.
—Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2023
Holin, 44, spoke about Kfar Aza, where she was born and raised and where her son and daughter were growing up, in the past tense.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2023
Niro’s art, which speaks in the present tense and affirms the continuity of the Mohawk people, is haunted by the displacement of her ancestors.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023
Stories can be told in the present tense, and then reviewed using past tense forms.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
The members of Måneskin are between the ages of 22 and 24, situating them firmly within the cadre of people who understand rock in the past tense.
—Dan Brooks, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023
This play seems to be taking place in the present tense, but also in retrospect, through Sofi’s point of view.
—Liz Appel, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023
Even as, somewhere north and west of me, a Mohawk girl named Shelley was coming of age, this woman spoke in the past tense, about things long ago, things that had seemingly disappeared.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023
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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.
Word History
Adjective
borrowed from Latin tensus, from past participle of tendere "to extend outward, stretch, spread out" — more at tender entry 3
Verb
derivative of tense entry 1
Noun
Middle English tens, borrowed from Anglo-French tens, temps "time, moment, season, tense," going back to Latin tempus "period of time, season, tense" — more at tempo
Adjective
1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1676, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing tense
Articles Related to tense
Dictionary Entries Near tense
Cite this Entry
“Tense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tense. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
tense
1 of 3 nountense
2 of 3 adjectivetense
3 of 3 verbNoun
Middle English tens "time, tense," from early French tens (same meaning), from Latin tempus "time" — related to temporary
Adjective
from Latin tensus "stretched tight," from tendere "to stretch" — related to tender entry 2
Medical Definition
tense
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on tense
Nglish: Translation of tense for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tense for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tense
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