as in pressures
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 tensions
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
As tensions boiled, clashes broke out and federal agents used pepper balls and tear gas, hitting journalists, a pastor and officers with the Chicago Police Department, according to reports and a lawsuit.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Canada has long been one of America’s top trading partners, behind China and Mexico, making trade tensions a heated topic.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The tensions are mounting and the room for error is constricting.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
But concomitant with this were tensions around the concept of localism, an ethos with its roots in the conditions and convictions of the earliest settlers.
—JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
In recent years, companies have repeatedly felt the painful impact of these geopolitical tensions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
Although the balloon incident has not been directly linked to Moscow, Lithuania's border closures add to tensions spiked by accusations of Russian incursions into NATO airspace amid Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
As tensions boiled, clashes broke out and federal agents used pepper balls and tear gas, hitting journalists, a pastor and officers with the Chicago Police Department, according to reports and a lawsuit.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Canada has long been one of America’s top trading partners, behind China and Mexico, making trade tensions a heated topic.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
The tensions are mounting and the room for error is constricting.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
But concomitant with this were tensions around the concept of localism, an ethos with its roots in the conditions and convictions of the earliest settlers.
—JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
In recent years, companies have repeatedly felt the painful impact of these geopolitical tensions.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tensions
Noun
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Caliendo handled the rest of the game, allowing no quarterback pressures on 32 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
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But Mamdani’s rise, Piker says, has already exposed the deeper pressures facing the party in 2025.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is an adjustable graphics-card brace, and its screw tightens the part that clamps it to the slide.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
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The bill tightens those requirements, requiring proof of work or education in most instances, tightens eligibility requirements and reduces federal spending.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations.—
Michael Salerno,
AZCentral.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Any child with a critical illness can be referred for a wish, which Make-A-Wish President and CEO Leslie Motter stresses is a lasting, not last wish.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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More than a half dozen members of the Tisch family, whose fortune stretches from real estate and hospitality to energy, packaging and sports, have given to Fix the City.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
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Flight delays and cancellations are surging around the country as a result of staff shortages in airports as the government shutdown stretches on, causing thousands of air traffic controllers to work without pay.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts believed to have various health benefits, but different strains target different systems.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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The war produced strains, but the agreements survived, notes Erel Margalit, a prominent Israeli venture capitalist who began doing business in Gulf states after the accords were signed.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The law ties the amount to a statistic called the Payment Error Rate -- the official measure of accuracy -- whether states are giving recipients either too much, or too little, in food stamp money.—
James Sneed,
NPR,
31 Oct. 2025
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The moment was even more special as Swift herself was in the crowd to cheer on the tight end, who now ties Priest Holmes for the most regular-season TDs in the Chiefs’ history.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Philanthropy can be the glue that binds generations.—
William Jarvis,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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However, there's also another tie that binds the sparkling statements Meghan and Eugenie made, as both of their only tiara wears to date.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tensions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tensions. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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