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
Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 30 Aug. 2025
On one hand, there's some off the field tension between a future hall of fame quarterback ignoring a prominent analyst.
—Cecil Merkerson Iii, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 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
On the strongly Hispanic south side of Milwaukee, both public and private schools have operated amid tensions and worries from parents, children and educators about what will happen.
—Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 30 Aug. 2025
On one hand, there's some off the field tension between a future hall of fame quarterback ignoring a prominent analyst.
—Cecil Merkerson Iii, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tension
Noun
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The decision comes following months of mass deportations and pressure to close Alligator Alcatraz, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility located in the Florida Everglades.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Europe is battling its own demons, including a surge in far-right nationalism and economic pressures.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Seemingly immediately, your heart will begin racing and your muscles will start tensing.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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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
Noun
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The system runs simulations to predict where stress will build up in a 3D model, then reserves high-performance plastics for those regions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
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Participants’ heart rates were higher during the hot class, but that extra cardiovascular stress didn’t translate to more bodily work overall.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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By pooling liquidity across the two systems, DeXRP aims to reduce slippage, tighten spreads, and deliver an execution experience closer to what institutions demand.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Some have suggested that the answer lies not in tightening ethics rules but in raising congressional pay.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Unfortunately, his regular season ended last week with a Grade 2 oblique strain that will keep him out four to six weeks.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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In recent months, however, there have been indications that the strain between father and son may be softening — hinting at the possibility of a reconciliation ahead.—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tension. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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