tense

[ 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

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendere “to stretch”; see tend¹

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

tensely, adverbtenseness, nounun·tens·ing, adjective

Words nearby tense

tenpins, tenpounder, tenrec, TENS, Tensas, tense, tensegrity, tense logic, tensible, tensile, tensile strength

Definition for tense (2 of 2)

tense²

[ 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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

tenseless, adjectivetense·less·ly, adverbtense·less·ness, noun

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tense

Turkish has an inferential tense marked by the suffix -miş, which you have to add to verbs whenever you are talking about something you did not personally see or something that you doubt.
The true love story in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is a love affair with language|Constance Grady|September 11, 2020|Vox
Landau seemed incredibly nice, but I found the mood strangely tense.
‘The Dream Architects’: Inside the making of gaming’s biggest franchises|Rachel King|September 1, 2020|Fortune
Elections are always tense, but this year was something different.
For Election Administrators, Death Threats Have Become Part of the Job|by Jessica Huseman|August 21, 2020|ProPublica
A tense advertising landscape in fourth quarter 2019 for Dow Jones — which includes The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s — saw its digital advertising revenue tumble by 7%.
‘It’s less dire than it seemed to be’: How The Wall Street Journal’s digital ads business has weathered the downturn|Lucinda Southern|August 20, 2020|Digiday

In this case, it appears those processes have failed, and at a moment when relations between China and India – both nuclear armed states – are already tense.
China And India’s Deadly Himalayan Clash Is A Big Test For Modi. And A Big Concern For The World|LGBTQ-Editor|June 19, 2020|No Straight News
A tense commute to work in Houston will start to resemble a tense commute in Boston or New York City.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elisabetta Piqué, who knew Bergoglio well as a cardinal, writes in the present tense as if to convey real time passing.
How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF|Jason Berry|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since Nestdrop continues to do so as of this writing, they wager a tense gamble that the odds will be in their favor.
Days Are Numbered for Nestdrop, LA’s ‘Uber for Weed’|Justin Hampton|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rioting and looting ensued shortly after the verdict and racial tensions were tense across the United States for years to follow.
It’s Time to Hold Protesters Accountable|Ron Christie|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But so many years later, I still get a tense feeling in my stomach when I see a strong storm approaching.
Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction|Sean B. Carroll|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The American boys were tense and strained, knowing that in a few hours they would be facing death.
People of Destiny|Philip Gibbs
At sight of him her tense mood broke suddenly, and bursting into tears, she threw herself into his arms.
Sir Christopher|Maud Wilder Goodwin
At a tense moment, such as this, cheering is often hypnotic, and good managers know how to make use of it on the floor.
In the Arena|Booth Tarkington
He continued standing in that tense attitude, his eyes vague and dreamy.
The Historical Nights' Entertainment|Rafael Sabatini
Government 077is that power which one part of speech has over another, in directing its mood, tense, or case.
The Comic English Grammar|Percival Leigh

British Dictionary definitions for tense (1 of 2)

tense¹

/ (tɛns) /

adjective

stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid

under mental or emotional strain

producing mental or emotional straina tense day

(of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable durationin 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, adverbtenseness, noun

Word Origin for tense

C17: from Latin tensus taut, from tendere to stretch

British Dictionary definitions for tense (2 of 2)

tense²

/ (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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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”).

单词	tense
释义	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 First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendere “to stretch”; see tend¹ OTHER WORDS FROM tense tensely, adverbtenseness, nounun·tens·ing, adjective Words nearby tense tenpins, tenpounder, tenrec, TENS, Tensas, tense, tensegrity, tense logic, tensible, tensile, tensile strength Definition for tense (2 of 2) tense² [ 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 tenseless, adjectivetense·less·ly, adverbtense·less·ness, noun Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for tense Turkish has an inferential tense marked by the suffix -miş, which you have to add to verbs whenever you are talking about something you did not personally see or something that you doubt. The true love story in Elif Batuman’s The Idiot is a love affair with language\|Constance Grady\|September 11, 2020\|Vox Landau seemed incredibly nice, but I found the mood strangely tense. ‘The Dream Architects’: Inside the making of gaming’s biggest franchises\|Rachel King\|September 1, 2020\|Fortune Elections are always tense, but this year was something different. For Election Administrators, Death Threats Have Become Part of the Job\|by Jessica Huseman\|August 21, 2020\|ProPublica A tense advertising landscape in fourth quarter 2019 for Dow Jones — which includes The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s — saw its digital advertising revenue tumble by 7%. ‘It’s less dire than it seemed to be’: How The Wall Street Journal’s digital ads business has weathered the downturn\|Lucinda Southern\|August 20, 2020\|Digiday In this case, it appears those processes have failed, and at a moment when relations between China and India – both nuclear armed states – are already tense. China And India’s Deadly Himalayan Clash Is A Big Test For Modi. And A Big Concern For The World\|LGBTQ-Editor\|June 19, 2020\|No Straight News A tense commute to work in Houston will start to resemble a tense commute in Boston or New York City. Will Texas Stay Texan?\|David Fontana\|December 29, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Elisabetta Piqué, who knew Bergoglio well as a cardinal, writes in the present tense as if to convey real time passing. How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF\|Jason Berry\|December 21, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Since Nestdrop continues to do so as of this writing, they wager a tense gamble that the odds will be in their favor. Days Are Numbered for Nestdrop, LA’s ‘Uber for Weed’\|Justin Hampton\|December 6, 2014\|DAILY BEAST Rioting and looting ensued shortly after the verdict and racial tensions were tense across the United States for years to follow. It’s Time to Hold Protesters Accountable\|Ron Christie\|December 4, 2014\|DAILY BEAST But so many years later, I still get a tense feeling in my stomach when I see a strong storm approaching. Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction\|Sean B. Carroll\|November 30, 2014\|DAILY BEAST The American boys were tense and strained, knowing that in a few hours they would be facing death. People of Destiny\|Philip Gibbs At sight of him her tense mood broke suddenly, and bursting into tears, she threw herself into his arms. Sir Christopher\|Maud Wilder Goodwin At a tense moment, such as this, cheering is often hypnotic, and good managers know how to make use of it on the floor. In the Arena\|Booth Tarkington He continued standing in that tense attitude, his eyes vague and dreamy. The Historical Nights' Entertainment\|Rafael Sabatini Government 077is that power which one part of speech has over another, in directing its mood, tense, or case. The Comic English Grammar\|Percival Leigh British Dictionary definitions for tense (1 of 2) tense¹ / (tɛns) / adjective stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid under mental or emotional strain producing mental or emotional straina tense day (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable durationin 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, adverbtenseness, noun Word Origin for tense C17: from Latin tensus taut, from tendere to stretch British Dictionary definitions for tense (2 of 2) tense² / (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 Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Content related to tense Verb Tenses: Past, Future, And Even PerfectTime 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 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”). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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tense

adjective, tens·er, tens·est.

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

Origin of tense

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

Words nearby tense

Definition for tense (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of tense

OTHER WORDS FROM tense

Example sentences from the Web for tense

British Dictionary definitions for tense (1 of 2)

adjective

verb

Derived forms of tense

Word Origin for tense

British Dictionary definitions for tense (2 of 2)

noun

Derived forms of tense

Word Origin for tense

Content related to tense

Words related to tense

Cultural definitions for tense