high-tension

American  

[hahy-ten-shuhn] / ˈhaɪˈtɛn ʃən /

adjective

Electricity.

1. subjected to or capable of operating under relatively high voltage.

   high-tension wire.

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high-tension British  

noun

1. HT. (modifier) subjected to, carrying, or capable of operating at a relatively high voltage

   a high-tension wire

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high-tension Scientific  

1. Having a high voltage, or designed to work at or sustain high voltages. High-tension wires used to carry electrical power over long distances sustain voltages over 200,000 volts.

2. Compare low-tension

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Etymology

Origin of high-tension

First recorded in 1910–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high-tension

Safety had become a concern, and Edison argued that high-tension currents, particularly alternating current, posed an unacceptable danger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

The new technique offers a more efficient and accessible way to produce housanes while expanding the range of molecules that can be built from these high-tension structures.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026

But yes, there is plenty of humor in the high-stakes, high-tension, high-wire act that is “Bugonia,” with much conveyed in ways the actors relate through inflection or even without dialogue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

He said investigators have found the plane had struck high-tension power lines before crashing into homes in the Murphy Canyon neighbourhood, about two miles from the Montgomery Field Airport - where the plane was heading.

From BBC ● May 23, 2025

I looked out the window at the starry night, at the high-tension wires and the osprey nests, and I thought over and over again about what I could have said back to Kerri Gardner.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

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