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tense1 definition

tense (tens)

adjective tenser tens′er, tensest tens′·est

  1. stretched tight; strained; taut
  2. feeling, showing, or causing mental strain; anxious
  3. Phonet. articulated with the jaw and tongue muscles relatively rigid: said of certain vowels, as (ē) and (o̵̅o̅)

Etymology: L tensus, pp. of tendere, to stretch < IE *tend- < base *ten-, to stretch > thin

transitive verb, intransitive verb tensed, tensing tens′·ing

to make or become tense

Related Forms:

tense2 definition

tense (tens)

noun

  1. a characteristic of verbs that indicates the time of the action or state of being that a verb expresses; also, an analytic category based on this characteristic
  2. any of the forms a verb takes to indicate this characteristic
  3. a set of such forms for a given time reference the present tense of “be”

Etymology: ME < OFr tens < L tempus, time: see temper

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

tense Synonyms

tense

modif.

  1. Nervous

    agitated, anxious, high-strung, on edge, fluttery, jumpy, jittery; see also excited.

    Antonyms calm*, unconcerned*, indifferent. *

  2. Stretched tight

    rigid, stiff, firm; see tight 1. See syn. study at tight.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

tense Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • past: Can you work out the past tenses of the following.

Modifies a noun

  • thriller: What follows is a tense, brutal thriller that leaves you questioning whether Harris's results justify his means.

Modifying Another Word

  • unbearably: The point of view shots make these scenes unbearably tense.

Noun used with modifier

  • verb: Time lines are also a great way of conveying the meaning of different verb tenses.

Used with adjective complement

  • feel: If a certain person makes you feel tense, try to plan to avoid them on the morning of your wedding.

Preposition: of

  • verb: The tenses of the two verbs in the sending are different.
tense usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"tense." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/tense>

APA Style

tense. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/tense

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