tense
/tɛns/ adjective B1- Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed. · You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.
- Characterized by strain (on the nerves, emotions, etc). (Compare charged.)
- Pulled taut, without any slack.
- Produced with relative constriction of the vocal tract.
Comparative tenser · Superlative tensest
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
Had he looked he could hardly have failed to notice the tense rigidity and expectation of her attitude and expression.
Her face was pale and tense.
Holmes's figure seemed to grow taller as he grew tense and ready.
Our conversation was hampered by the presence of the driver of the hired wagonette, so that we were forced to talk of trivial matters when our nerves were tense with emotion and anticipation.
Other matches
Learn tense in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.