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

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

Saturday ripped through two storage lots in an industrial area beneath I-10, burning parked cars, stacks of wooden pallets and support poles for high-tension power lines, city fire Chief Kristin Crowley said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2023

Goldstein said that utility contractors will first work to ground the high-tension wires to make it safe for rescuers to work.

From Washington Times • Nov. 28, 2022

She heard a high-tension crackle and hum from the lights, whose cables swung in the wind, scattering the rain and throwing shadows up over the rocks and down again, like a grotesque jump rope.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman