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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high-tension

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

The pilot and passenger were seriously injured and the Mooney M20J was substantially damaged when it hit a tower supporting high-tension lines on Nov. 27, knocking out power to tens of thousands of area customers.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2022

In March a physicist named Wesley Coates—a former doctoral student of Ernest’s—brushed against a high-tension cable in Columbia University’s X-ray lab and received a fatal 5,000-volt shock.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik