TENSE

• (noun) a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

• (verb) cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

  "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"

  synonyms : strain , tense up

• (verb) become tense, nervous, or uneasy

  "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room"

  synonyms : tense up

• (verb) increase the tension on

  "alternately relax and tense your calf muscle", "tense the rope manually before tensing the spring"

• (verb) become stretched or tense or taut

  "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;", "the rope strained when the weight was attached"

  synonyms : strain

• (adj.) taut or rigid; stretched tight

  "tense piano strings"

• (adj.) pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')

• (adj.) in or of a state of physical or nervous tension

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

•   Add   Mnemonic      Origin      Usage      Flickr-Image      Comment
•   To add this word to Your wordlists click here
•   Click here to view photos related to this word from
•   http://www.mnemonicdictionary.com/word/tense