FluentPlex

tense

/tɛns/ noun B1
  1. The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. (uncountable) · Dyirbal verbs are not inflected for tense.
  2. An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense. (countable) · English only has a past tense and a non-past tense; it has no future tense.
  3. A grammatical aspect. (countable)
  4. A verb form or construction indicating a combination of tense, aspect, and mood. (countable) · The "simple present" tense in English can have several meanings.· The Spanish teacher told the student to use the imperfect tense instead of the preterite tense.

Plural tenses

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Had he looked he could hardly have failed to notice the tense rigidity and expectation of her attitude and expression.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 12 · C1
Her face was pale and tense.
Anne of Green Gables, p. 82 · C1
Holmes's figure seemed to grow taller as he grew tense and ready.
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, p. 41 · B2
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.
The Hound of the Baskervilles, p. 187 · C1

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.