as in pressure
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
under a lot of tension right now about her decision not to go to college
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Recent Examples of tension
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022
The roof bars tension the whole tent nicely, pulling against the stakes, so there’s no slack in the walls and no sag in the roof.
—Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 26 July 2022
Hugh Leask, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
From that moment, though, the tension continued for both teams until the final whistle saw the Packers come out victorious, 35-25, in a game where Rodgers was trying to become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams in his career.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tension
Noun
In a lengthy chat with host Stephen Colbert, the director and actress spoke about everything from firing Shia LaBeouf to tension with star Florence Pugh to whether Harry Styles actually spit on Chris Pine.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022
The roof bars tension the whole tent nicely, pulling against the stakes, so there’s no slack in the walls and no sag in the roof.
—Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 26 July 2022
Verb
While more than half of Europe's sectors were negative Monday morning, industrials, technology and mining stocks — three industries often seen as particularly sensitive to global trade tensions — were among the biggest gainers.
—Hugh Leask, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
From that moment, though, the tension continued for both teams until the final whistle saw the Packers come out victorious, 35-25, in a game where Rodgers was trying to become the fifth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams in his career.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tension
Noun
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Hold for 30-60 seconds, focusing on keeping pressure in the midfoot and the knee aligned with your toes.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
31 Oct. 2025
-
There's certainly already a lot of pressure on the series adaptation.—
Staff Author,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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While biting, their jaw muscles tensed to squeeze venom into their meal.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
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My skin felt dirty, and my stomach tensed with fear.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Traditionally, one of the key justifications for teamwork has been its psychological benefits—the energy that comes from collaboration, the reduced stress of shared responsibility, the excitement of building on each other’s ideas.—
François Candelon,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
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Where to Go Your mini-moon should be intimate, indulgent, and stress-free—luxe places that feel remote but are easy to get to.—
Jim Augerinos,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Nagy says Takaichi will likely praise Trump on his immigration policy, which has involved pursuing mass deportations and tightening restrictions on legal immigration.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
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The protection tightened and the offenses stopped turning the ball over.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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With the game still in doubt in the fourth quarter, Marshall burst out of a pile for a 9-yard touchdown despite feeling the strain of carrying the ball 25 times.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Nevertheless, a fundamental strain exists between H&M’s corporate and altruistic identities.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tension. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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