tensioning

verb

present participle of tension
as in tightening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tensioning
  1. tightening
  2. stretching
  3. tensing
Verb
  • With October polls showing a tightening contest in both races, these undecided Black voters could play a pivotal role in determining the election results.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Police and protesters clashed in Brussels on Friday as tens of thousands of people rallied separately in the Belgian capital against rising living costs and budget-tightening measures introduced by the government.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of tightening
Verb
  • Erected on a hillside in 1938, Fallingwater appeared as a matrix of rectangles with low and flat horizontal lines stretching across the planes of the house.
    — Wendy S. Walters, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Blue crabs and crawfish are sourced from Louisiana, while shellfish such as oysters, Manila clams and cherrystone clams arrive from waters stretching from the East Coast to Asia.
    — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of stretching
Verb
  • Ewing has recognized his shoulders tensing and his upper body going stiff.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 21 June 2026
  • Limited rib mobility interferes with the ability to breathe deeply, triggering your body’s stress response, which increases muscle tensing as a guarding mechanism.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Definition of tensing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tensioned
tensioning
tensions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tensioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tensioning. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of zenith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All