tense

1
[ tens ]
/ tɛns /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR tense ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tens·er, tens·est.

stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid.
in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung; taut: a tense person.
characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings: a tense moment.
Phonetics. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles; narrow. Compare lax(def 7).

verb (used with or without object), tensed, tens·ing.

to make or become tense.

Origin of tense

1
1660–70; < Latin tēnsus past participle of tendere to stretch; see tend1

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

tense·ly, adverb tense·ness, noun un·tens·ing, adjective

Words nearby tense

tenpins, tenpounder, tenrec, tens, tensas, tense, tense logic, tensegrity, tensible, tensile, tensile strength

Definition for tense (2 of 2)

tense 2
[ tens ]
/ tɛns /

noun

a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.
a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.
the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.
such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

Origin of tense

2
1275–1325; Middle English tens < Middle French < Latin tempus time

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

tense·less, adjective tense·less·ly, adverb tense·less·ness, noun

Content related to tense

Verb Tenses: Past, Future, And Even Perfect Time to perfect your verb tense mastery by reviewing some of the most common verb tenses in English, from the simple tenses to the perfect ones.
READ MORE

Words related to tense

strained, nervous, shaky, edgy, anxious, uneasy, apprehensive, agitated, jittery, restive, excited, stressful, firm, close, stiff, wired, shot, wreck, concerned, moved

Example sentences from the Web for tense

British Dictionary definitions for tense (1 of 2)

tense 1
/ (tɛns) /

adjective

stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid
under mental or emotional strain
producing mental or emotional strain a tense day
(of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration in English the vowel ( iː ) in ``beam'' is tense Compare lax (def. 4)

verb

(often foll by up) to make or become tense

Derived forms of tense

tensely, adverb tenseness, noun

Word Origin for tense

C17: from Latin tensus taut, from tendere to stretch

British Dictionary definitions for tense (2 of 2)

tense 2
/ (tɛns) /

noun

grammar a category of the verb or verbal inflections, such as present, past, and future, that expresses the temporal relations between what is reported in a sentence and the time of its utterance

Derived forms of tense

tenseless, adjective

Word Origin for tense

C14: from Old French tens time, from Latin tempus

Cultural definitions for tense

tense

An inflectional (see inflection) form of verbs; it expresses the time at which the action described by the verb takes place. The major tenses are past, present, and future. The verb in “I sing” is in the present tense; in “I sang,” past tense; in “I will sing,” future tense. Other tenses are the present perfect (“I have sung”), the past perfect (“I had sung”), and the future perfect (“I will have sung”).