tense

adjective

\ˈten(t)s

tenser; tensest

Definition of tense

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : stretched tight : made taut : rigid tense muscles

2a : 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

tense

verb

tensed; tensing

Definition of tense (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to make tense

intransitive verb

: to become tense tensed up and missed the putt

tense

noun

Definition of tense (Entry 3 of 3)

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

2a : 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

Other Words from tense Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about tense

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Examples of tense in a Sentence

Adjective

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.

Verb

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

Noun

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 on the Web: Adjective

In a tense exchange, Judge Drain said the claims were likely to be zeroed out under normal circumstances. — Andrew Scurria, WSJ, "Sears Swap Seller Looks to Salvage Bad Bankruptcy Bet," 15 Nov. 2018 Randall isn’t present for that tense exchange between Kate, Toby and Rebecca, but the whole thing is sparked by a thoughtless comment from Kate. — Emma Dibdin, Country Living, "6 Moments From 'This Is Us' You Need to Know Before Watching Next Week's Episode," 7 Oct. 2018 Some also highlight that four-legged friends help employees break the ice during tense meetings and encourage more friendly socializing in the office. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "Today Is Take Your Dog to Work Day. But at These 10 Companies, Dogs Are Always Welcome," 22 June 2018 Otting had a tense exchange with Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) over the issue of discrimination. — James Rufus Koren, latimes.com, "Regulator found 20,000 bad accounts at major banks. We still don't know which ones," 13 June 2018 The clash over who should pay to solve a housing crisis exacerbated by Seattle's rapid economic growth was marked by weeks of raucous meetings and tense exchanges that didn't abate after the tax was approved. — Phuong Le, The Christian Science Monitor, "Amazon strikes back at Seattle business tax aimed to combat homelessness," 12 June 2018 The level of anxiety was evident in tense exchanges in which county voting officials complained that the state doesn’t notify them when the statewide voter database malfunctions and is briefly accessible. — Steve Bousquet, miamiherald, "Florida's election experts still worried about keeping hackers out | Miami Herald," 27 May 2018 His words were energizing and reassuring for all of us in that tense contractor meeting. — Kathryn Crawford Saxer, The Seattle Times, "The 4 words I wish I’d said more in my career," 20 Apr. 2018 Brochin and Almond had a tense exchange over how to pay for school construction projects. — Pamela Wood, baltimoresun.com, "Democratic candidates for Baltimore County executive face off for the first time," 12 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Progressive muscle relaxation is simply tensing and relaxing various muscle groups in the body, explains Bonior. — Casey Gueren, SELF, "We Asked Therapists How to Feel a Little Bit Better This Week. Here are Their Self-Care Tips," 3 Oct. 2018 Willa relented, though her shoulders hunched, her face tensing through the initial strokes. — David Gilbert, The New Yorker, "Fungus," 4 June 2017 When Harris felt something inConde's sock, Conde tensed up and turned on the officer, according to the report. — Uriel J. Garcia, azcentral, "Mesa police video shows officers punching, mocking man in drug arrest," 13 June 2018 Imagine the scene: Arms tensed, bow flexed, a hunter on the African savanna draws in a slow breath as his prey moves into view. — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, "Beyond the Condom," 11 May 2018 Castillo Laffita and Marcel Mendez also begin to tense up. — Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, "DanzAbierta’s ‘MalSon’ evokes contemporary Havana," 17 Mar. 2018 The alliance has tensed relations between Washington and Ankara, who are NATO allies. — Washington Post, "Syrian Kurdish leader detained in Prague on Turkey’s request," 7 Mar. 2018 But the team has tensed up during crucial moments in recent games at Smoothie King Center, which has frustrated both fans and players alike. — William Guillory, NOLA.com, "5 things the Pelicans need to fix to make the playoffs," 2 Apr. 2018 The alliance has tensed relations between Washington and Ankara, who are NATO allies. — Washington Post, "Syrian Kurdish leader detained in Prague on Turkey’s request," 7 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Indeed, as the technician at Mission Control began narrating the final steps of the landing process, the mood in the room turned palpable tense. — Paul Roberts, The Seattle Times, "Mars landing is a nail-biter for Redmond rocket engineers," 26 Nov. 2018 On Monday's episode of The View, things got especially (and unusually) tense between co-hosts Meghan McCain and Joy Behar. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'The View' Star Whoopi Goldberg Had to Break Up Meghan McCain and Joy Behar's Heated Debate," 30 Oct. 2018 On Captain Wild Bill’s boat, things are getting tense as well. — Tyler Mccarthy, Fox News, "'Deadliest Catch' Season 14, Episode 14 recap: Tensions rise as crews members misbehave," 10 July 2018 Mlinda struggles to teach business concepts (Mr Bhaskar notes that the local language does not even have a future tense). — The Economist, "Mini-grids could be a boon to poor people in Africa and Asia," 12 July 2018 Her voice tenses slightly, indicating a laugh is on its way. — Vanessa Chow, Glamour, "Introducing Kate McKinnon, Movie Star," 26 June 2018 The situation could get more tense, Young said, as the pups in the newest litter reach six to eight weeks of age and begin traveling with the adults around the park. — Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle, "Coyote alert: SF is home to seven new pups in the Presidio," 4 June 2018 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

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.