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tension - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'tension' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Tension [ a.]
- The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of the larynx.
- Fig.: Extreme strain of mind or excitement of feeling; intense effort.
- The degree of stretching to which a wire, cord, piece of timber, or the like, is strained by drawing it in the direction of its length; strain.
- The force by which a part is pulled when forming part of any system in equilibrium or in motion; as, the tension of a srting supporting a weight equals that weight.
- A device for checking the delivery of the thread in a sewing machine, so as to give the stitch the required degree of tightness.
- Expansive force; the force with which the particles of a body, as a gas, tend to recede from each other and occupy a larger space; elastic force; elasticity; as, the tension of vapor; the tension of air.
- The quality in consequence of which an electric charge tends to discharge itself, as into the air by a spark, or to pass from a body of greater to one of less electrical potential. It varies as the quantity of electricity upon a given area.

Meaning of 'tension' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . tension [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the physical condition of being stretched or strained
Example in sentence:
  • he could feel the tenseness of her body;
  • it places great tension on the leg muscles
Meaning (2):
- feelings of hostility that are not manifest
Example in sentence:
  • he could sense her latent hostility to him;
  • the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions
Meaning (3):
- (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
Example in sentence:
  • he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension;
  • stress is a vasoconstrictor
Meaning (4):
- the action of stretching something tight
Example in sentence:
  • tension holds the belt in the pulleys
Meaning (5):
- (physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body
Example in sentence:
  • the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear
Meaning (6):
- a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature)
Example in sentence:
  • there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history;
  • there is a tension created between narrative time and movie time

Nearby Words:

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

See 'tension' also in:

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