as in tightening
to draw tight
he tensed his muscles and attempted to lift the heavy appliance onto the truck
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Recent Examples of tensing
Keeping in the same position for a long period of time, especially if cramped or uncomfortable, can also lead to muscles tensing up and feeling tight.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Keep tensing and releasing muscles of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, legs, feet, and toes.
—Carley Millhone, Health, 2 Oct. 2025
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
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
Keep tensing and releasing muscles of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, legs, feet, and toes.
—Carley Millhone, Health, 2 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tensing
tightening
Verb
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Building access is tightening, and the university says students will have the option to attend some classes virtually.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
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China's regulators have responded by tightening margin financing rules, including raising collateral requirements on new margin trades.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tensing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tensing. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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