hypertension
Americannoun
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Pathology.
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elevation of the blood pressure, especially the diastolic pressure.
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an arterial disease characterized by this condition.
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excessive or extreme emotional tenseness.
noun
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Abnormally high blood pressure, especially in the arteries. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.
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Also called high blood pressure
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hypertension
Explanation
If you've got hypertension, you've got high blood pressure, and you're likely to be on medication to bring it down to a safe level. Hyper- is a prefix that means "over" or "beyond" — if you're hyper you're wildly energetic. Tension means "stretching" or "straining." Hypertension, therefore, means "straining beyond." With hypertension, your blood pressure is abnormally high, causing a strain on your blood vessels. This condition can result in serious health problems, such as heart attack and stroke.
Vocabulary lists containing hypertension
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects more than 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Winrevair, a pulmonary arterial hypertension treatment, also contributed to Merck’s overall topline growth, with sales up 93% year over year to $694 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
The researchers say larger clinical trials will be essential to confirm the encouraging results in patients with severe hypertension and identify which groups, if any, could benefit most from this approach.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
Looking at geographical factors, the study found that people in rural areas has significantly more limited access to hypertension diagnosis and cancer screening.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
He had quit drinking and smoking, but had high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
