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tense - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'tense' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Tense [ a.]
- Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber.
2 . Tense [ n.]
- One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time.

Meaning of 'tense' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . tense [ v]
Meaning (1):
- increase the tension on
Example in sentence:
  • alternately relax and tense your calf muscle;
  • tense the rope manually before tensing the spring
Meaning (2):
- cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
Example in sentence:
  • he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
Meaning (3):
- become tense, nervous, or uneasy
Example in sentence:
  • He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room
Meaning (4):
- become stretched or tense or taut
Example in sentence:
  • the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;
  • the rope strained when the weight was attached
5 . tense [ a]
Meaning (5):
- taut or rigid; stretched tight
Example in sentence:
  • tense piano strings

Nearby Words:

ten ten-o'clock ten-pounder ten-strike tenability tenable tenableness tenace tenacies tenacious

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