tense

tense
I UK [tens] / US adjective
Word forms "tense":
adjective tense comparative tenser superlative tensest
*
1)
a) making you feel nervous and not relaxed, usually because you are worried about what is going to happen

a tense situation/atmosphere

a tense silence:

There was a tense silence as everyone waited for his reaction.

a tense atmosphere:

The atmosphere in the courtroom was extremely tense.

b) feeling nervous and not relaxed, usually because you are worried about what is going to happen

He was tired, but too tense to sleep.

The city remains tense after Monday's bombing.

2) pulled or stretched tight

She was gently massaging the tense muscles of his neck.


Derived words:
tensely
adverb
tenseness
noun uncountable
II UK [tens] / US noun [countable/uncountable]
Word forms "tense":
singular tense plural tenses linguistics *
a form of a verb used for showing when something happens. For example "I go" is the present tense and "I went" is the past tense of the verb "to go".

III = tense up
tense UK [tens] / US or tense up UK / US verb [intransitive/transitive]
Word forms "tense":
present tense I/you/we/they tense he/she/it tenses present participle tensing past tense tensed past participle tensed
if you or your muscles tense, or if you tense them, they suddenly become tight

Luke tensed when she touched him.


English dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
, , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Tense — Tense, a. [L. tensus, p. p. of tendere to stretch. See {Tend} to move, and cf. {Toise}.] Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber. [1913 Webster] The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tense — is the location in time of the state or action expressed by a verb. English verbs properly have only two tenses, the present (I stay) and past (I stayed). The future is formed with shall or will (I shall / will stay: see shall and will) or (to… …   Modern English usage

  • Tense — Tense, n. [OF. tens, properly, time, F. temps time, tense. See {Temporal} of time, and cf. {Thing}.] (Gram.) 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tense — may refer to: *Grammatical tense, the inflection of a verb to indicate whether past, present, or future time is intended *Tenseness, a phonological quality frequently associated with vowels and occasionally with consonants *Tense, a state of… …   Wikipedia

  • tense — Ⅰ. tense [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) stretched tight or rigid. 2) feeling, causing, or showing anxiety and nervousness. ► VERB ▪ make or become tense. DERIVATIVES tensely adverb tenseness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • tense — tense1 [tens] adj. tenser, tensest [L tensus, pp. of tendere, to stretch < IE * tend < base * ten , to stretch > THIN] 1. stretched tight; strained; taut 2. feeling, showing, or causing mental strain; anxious 3. Phonet. articulated with… …   English World dictionary

  • tense — [adj1] tight, stretched close, firm, rigid, stiff, strained, taut; concepts 485,604 Ant. limp, limpid, loose, relaxed, slack tense [adj2] under stress, pressure agitated, anxious, apprehensive, beside oneself*, bundle of nerves*, choked, clutched …   New thesaurus

  • tense — index rigid Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • tense — adj 1 *tight, taut Analogous words: strained (see corresponding noun at STRAIN): nervous, unquiet, uneasy, jittery (see IMPATIENT) Antonyms: slack 2 *stiff, rigid, inflexible, stark, wooden Analogous words: tough, tenacious, stout (see STRONG):… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • tense — [[t]te̱ns[/t]] tenses, tensing, tensed, tenser, tensest 1) ADJ GRADED A tense situation or period of time is one that makes people anxious, because they do not know what is going to happen next. This gesture of goodwill did little to improve the… …   English dictionary

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