tense

Tense is a grammar term used to indicate whether a sentence (or verb) describes an action in the past, the present or the future. (noun)

An example of tense is a verb that indicates action is going on now, or a sentence about action taking place now.

To tense is to become stressed or to have your muscles become tight and rigid. (verb)

An example of tense is when you get very nervous and scared when you hear a loud noise.

Tense describes a state where your muscles are tight, or where you are filled with nervousness and anxiety. (adjective)

An example of tense is the way to describe a student just before he takes a big and important test.

See tense in Webster's New World College Dictionary

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

transitive verb, intransitive verb tensed, tensing

to make or become tense

Related Forms:

noun

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
any of the forms a verb takes to indicate this characteristic
a set of such forms for a given time reference: the present tense of “be”

See tense in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(tĕns)

adjective tens·er, tens·est

tr. & intr.v. tensed tensed, tens·ing, tens·es

To make or become tense.

Related Forms:

(tĕns)

noun

Any one of the inflected forms in the conjugation of a verb that indicates the time, such as past, present, or future, as well as the continuance or completion of the action or state.
A set of tense forms indicating a particular time: the future tense.

Learn more about tense

» tense synonyms

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» Verb Tense Worksheets

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