as in tightening
to draw tight
he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tensing
Seemingly immediately, your heart will begin racing and your muscles will start tensing.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Sport mode is where things get serious, tensing the car’s muscles and unleashing the entire prairie of horses.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Sport mode is where things get serious, tensing the car’s muscles and unleashing the entire prairie of horses.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tensing
tightening
Verb
-
They are favored to win the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, though the former appears to be tightening.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The tightening polls also came after Cornyn leaned into the Texas redistricting fight, garnering attention for calling on the FBI to help bring back Democrats who had fled the state in protest against efforts to redraw the maps.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tensing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tensing. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share