tense

adjective \ ˈten(t)s \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of tense

tenser; tensest

1 : stretched tight : made taut : rigid

tense muscles

2 a : feeling or showing nervous tension

a tense smile

b : marked by strain or suspense

a tense thriller

3 : produced with the muscles involved in a relatively tense state

the vowels \ē\ and \ü\ in contrast with the vowels \i\ and \u̇\ are tense

—

tensely

adverb

—

tenseness

noun

See tense defined for English-language learners

Examples of tense in a Sentence

She was feeling pretty tense.
Why are you so tense?
We sat quietly for a few tense moments.
It was a tense meeting.
My calf muscles are really tense.

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

Whether the two of them are going to be able to pull off a seemingly impossible negotiation, however, is the question that keeps the movie tense, twitchy, and exciting.

— adam rathe, Town & Country, "Is This Rosamund Pike's Most Daring Role Yet?," 9 Apr. 2018
But one longtime participant, Philip Yenyo, the executive director of the American Indian Movement of Ohio, said the confrontation was more crowded, more tense and more vulgar than usual.

— matt stevens and david waldstein, New York Times, "As Cleveland Indians Prepare to Part With Chief Wahoo, Tensions Reignite," 9 Apr. 2018
Dark, unbearably tense, and masterfully edited, her four films in her 19-year career are exercises in concise and brutal storytelling.

— tom philip, GQ, "Lynne Ramsay Knows What You Expect from an Action Movie, and She's Not Going to Give It to You," 6 Apr. 2018
Talks between the two companies have grown tense this week as each side digs in its heels on issues related to price and the future leadership of a combined entity.

— joe flint, WSJ, "CBS CEO Moonves Had 2017 Compensation of $69.3 Million," 6 Apr. 2018
The shooting drew a tense, charged crowd of dozens to the streets of Crown Heights.

— benjamin mueller and nate schweber, BostonGlobe.com, "Police Fatally Shoot a Brooklyn Man After Falsely Believing He Had a Gun," 6 Apr. 2018
The game occasionally suffered from tearing and stuttering, but held it together when the action got tense.

— brendan nystedt, WIRED, "Want to Learn More About Computers? Try Building Your Own PC," 4 Apr. 2018
The result: Mealtime becomes a battleground, tense and unhappy, an association that can last into adulthood.

— casey seidenberg, charlotteobserver, "Parental feeding styles can have consequences for kids | Charlotte Observer," 3 Apr. 2018
The result: Mealtime becomes a battleground, tense and unhappy, an association that can last into adulthood.

— casey seidenberg, chicagotribune.com, "Parental feeding styles can have consequences for kids. Which type is yours?," 1 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tense.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tense

Latin tensus, from past participle of tendere to stretch — more at thin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1668

See Words from the same year

tense Synonyms

Phrases

keyed up, on edge, on pins and needles, on tenterhooks;

tense

verb

Definition of tense

tensed; tensing

transitive verb

: to make tense

intransitive verb

: to become tense

tensed up and missed the putt

See tense defined for English-language learners

Examples of tense in a Sentence

She tensed as he walked toward her.
He tensed up and missed the putt.

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

Utley tensed his leg and let the ball connect with his right foot.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers veteran Chase Utley a shoo-in for the Hall of Pain as he awaits 200th pitch to hit him," 9 Apr. 2018
As the officers began the handcuffing process Lampley tensed up and began to pull away.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage man who scuffled with police faces several charges," 20 Mar. 2018
So when the Spurs found themselves behind 76-72 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, the entire arena tensed like a car full of roller-coaster riders just before the big drop.

— jeff mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Parker pulls Spurs back from brink," 6 Mar. 2018
The alliance has tensed relations between Washington and Ankara, who are NATO allies.

— zeynep bilginsoy, The Seattle Times, "Syrian Kurdish leader detained in Prague on Turkey’s request," 25 Feb. 2018
But with or without legislation, those involved in the school system are tensed after reading about the tragedies in the news.

— jason ruiter, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando residents rally for better gun laws after high school shooting," 19 Feb. 2018
The morning of the carolers, my body tensed as a team of doctors, nurses and students stopped by on their rounds.

— leslie gauthier, New York Times, "Shooing Carolers Away for a Love That Stays," 22 Dec. 2017
The goal of this practice is to actively create a sense of relaxation throughout your body by first tensing each area to establish an awareness and connection.

— dana santas, CNN, "Recovering from surgery or stress? Yoga can help," 19 Sep. 2017
His passion for the human form and how muscles rippled and tensed as the body moved created a groundbreaking portrait artist.

— marco della cava, USA TODAY, "Isaacson's 'Leonardo da Vinci': Gay, and a Renaissance 'giant'," 18 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of tense

1676

tense Synonyms

Synonyms

strain, stretch, tauten, tighten;

Antonyms

loosen, slack, slacken;

Near Antonyms

ease, relax;

Related Words

elongate, extend, lengthen;

cinch, constrict;

tense

noun

Definition of tense

1 : a distinction of form in a verb to express distinctions of time or duration of the action or state it denotes

2 a : a set of inflectional forms of a verb that express distinctions of time

b : an inflectional form of a verb expressing a specific time distinction

See tense defined for English-language learners

See tense defined for kids

Examples of tense in a Sentence

The sentence will read better if you change the tense of the verb.
You should avoid changing tense in the middle of a paragraph.

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

At the beginning of the summer, these 16-year-olds walk into the classroom tense and uncertain (the classrooms are inside some of the top companies and colleges in America).

— christina lewis, The Root, "Change Your Life by Celebrating Failure," 19 Mar. 2018
Then a muscle running forward from the tip of one rib to the skin tenses to pull the skeleton and body forward over the skin.

— james gorman, New York Times, "How the Snake Pours Its Way Across the Ground," 6 Feb. 2018
Relations have long been tense between the United States and Venezuela, an oil-rich country in a deepening political and economic crisis.

— Washington Post, "Top US diplomat in Venezuela under fire for tough comments," 22 Feb. 2018
For example, an officer may notice a suspect tense up and have to react.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "Delhi police officers now using body cameras," 21 Feb. 2018
And that was the small stuff, the petty offenses; as swiftly excused as are improper tenses.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "'A Christmas in need of coal' | A holiday poem from Tim Sullivan," 24 Dec. 2017
Relations have often been tense between the two countries since the genocide.

— kieron monks, CNN, "French officials accused of 'complicity' in Rwanda genocide," 13 Dec. 2017
Clinton is eternally in the plural tense, just like Kennedy or Bush.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Democrats Ignored Bill Clinton’s Mistreatment of Women, and President Trump Is Their Punishment," 29 Nov. 2017
Biko tenses and pulls handler John Peeler to the laptop bag before the man turns the corner.

— bart jansen, USA TODAY, "TSA dog teams hunt for explosives, boost security and speed travelers along," 21 Sep. 2017

Origin and Etymology of tense

Middle English tens time, tense, from Anglo-French, from Latin tempus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

TENSE Defined for English Language Learners

tense

noun

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

grammar : a form of a verb that is used to show when an action happened

tense

adjective

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

: nervous and not able to relax
: showing or causing nervousness
: not relaxed but hard and tight

tense

verb

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

: to make (a muscle) hard and tight
: to become nervous or tense

TENSE Defined for Kids

tense

noun \ ˈtens \

Definition of tense for Students

: a form of a verb used to show the time of the action or state

tense

adjective

Definition of tense for Students

tenser; tensest

1 : feeling or showing worry or nervousness : not relaxed

a tense smile

2 : marked by strain or uncertainty

a tense moment

3 : stretched tight

tense muscles

—

tensely

adverb

—

tenseness

noun

Word Root of tense

The Latin word tendere, meaning to “stretch” or “to spread,” and its form tentus give us the roots tend, tent, and tens. Words from the Latin tendere have something to do with stretching or spreading. A tent is a temporary shelter made from stretched out fabric. To distend is to stretch outward and swell in all directions. To extend is to stretch out. A tendon is a cord that connects a muscle to another muscle or to a bone and that stretches allowing a joint to bend. Something tense is stretched tight.

tense

verb

Definition of tense for Students

tensed; tensing

1 : to make or become worried or nervous

She tensed as the deadline grew near.

2 : to make (a muscle) hard and tight

She tensed her shoulders.

Medical Dictionary

tense

adjective \ ˈten(t)s \

medical Definition of tense

tenser; tensest

1 : stretched tight : made taut or rigid

the skeletal musculature involuntarily becomes tense
—H. G. Armstrong

2 : feeling or showing nervous tension

was tense and irritable

—

tenseness

noun

tense

verb

medical Definition of tense

tensed; tensing

transitive verb

: to make tense

tense a muscle

intransitive verb

: to become tense

Learn More about tense

See words that rhyme with tense Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tense Spanish Central: Translation of tense Nglish: Translation of tense for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tense for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tense

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up tense? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

tense

Definition of tense

tensely

tenseness

Examples of tense in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tense

tense Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

tense

Definition of tense

Examples of tense in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

First Known Use of tense

tense Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

tense

Definition of tense

Examples of tense in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tense from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tense

Phrases Related to TENSE

Related Phrases

TENSE Defined for English Language Learners

tense

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

tense

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

tense

Definition of tense for English Language Learners

TENSE Defined for Kids

tense

Definition of tense for Students

tense

Definition of tense for Students

tensely

tenseness

Word Root of tense

tense

Definition of tense for Students

Medical Dictionary

tense

medical Definition of tense

tenseness

tense

medical Definition of tense

Learn More about tense

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes