stress

[ stres ]

/ strɛs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stress ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

importance attached to a thing: to lay stress upon good manners.

Phonetics. emphasis in the form of prominent relative loudness of a syllable or a word as a result of special effort in utterance.

Prosody. accent or emphasis on syllables in a metrical pattern; beat.

emphasis in melody, rhythm, etc.; beat.

the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strain.

Mechanics.

the action on a body of any system of balanced forces whereby strain or deformation results.
the amount of stress, usually measured in pounds per square inch or in pascals.
a load, force, or system of forces producing a strain.
the internal resistance or reaction of an elastic body to the external forces applied to it.
the ratio of force to area.

Physiology. a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.

physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension: Worry over his job and his wife's health put him under a great stress.

a situation, occurrence, or factor causing this: The stress of being trapped in the elevator gave him a pounding headache.

Archaic. strong or straining exertion.

verb (used with object)

to lay stress on; emphasize.

Phonetics. to pronounce (a syllable or a word) with prominent loudness: Stress the first syllable of “runner.” Stress the second word in “put up with.”Compare accent(def 18).

to subject to stress or strain.

Mechanics. to subject to stress.

verb (used without object)

to experience stress or worry: Don't stress about the turkey; I promise it will be delicious. Dad is always stressing out over his job.

Nearby words

Origin of stress

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English stresse, aphetic variant of distresse distress; (v.) derivative of the noun

Related forms

stress·less, adjectivestress·less·ness, nounan·ti·stress, adjectivede-stress, verb (used with object)

non·stress, nouno·ver·stressed, adjectivere·stress, verbun·der·stress, nounun·der·stress, verb (used with object)well-stressed, adjective

Can be confusedaccent stress

Definition for stress (2 of 2)

-stress

a feminine equivalent of -ster: seamstress; songstress.

Origin of -stress

-st(e)r + -ess

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stress

Obsessive exercising and inadequate nutrition can, over time, put people at high risk for overuse injuries like stress fractures.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Nor do these studies address the structural and systematic issues that contribute to obesity, such as poverty and stress.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It also means not having to stress about cleaning out your DVR.
Four TV Shows We Can’t Wait to Return In 2015|DISH|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then French obstetricians advocated that the method would reduce pain and create a birthing environment free of stress.
Are Water Births Toxic to Babies?|Brandy Zadrozny|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He was slapped, grabbed in the face, placed in stress positions, placed in standing sleep deprivation, and doused with water.
Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon|Tim Mak|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But our hands are hard and leathery now and our muscles no longer creak and pain 100 under the stress.
Conscript 2989|Irving Crump
Thus reclining, the storm and stress of life dissolve—there is no thought, no care, no desire.
Nature Near London|Richard Jefferies
And yet, after the stress of war, she had sacrificed all that she held most dear in order to become the friend of Weirmarsh.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
The stress of organizing and founding these great works is practically over.
The Lady of the Shroud|Bram Stoker
It had a trick of turning an evil red under the stress of anger or emotion.
Satan Sanderson|Hallie Erminie Rives

British Dictionary definitions for stress (1 of 2)

stress

/ (strɛs) /

noun

special emphasis or significance attached to something

mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension

emphasis placed upon a syllable by pronouncing it more loudly than those that surround it

such emphasis as part of a regular rhythmic beat in music or poetry

a syllable so emphasized

physics

force or a system of forces producing deformation or strain
the force acting per unit area

verb

(tr) to give emphasis or prominence to

(tr) to pronounce (a word or syllable) more loudly than those that surround it

(tr) to subject to stress or strain

informal (intr) to become stressed or anxious

Derived Formsstressful, adjectivestressfully, adverbstressfulness, noun

Word Origin for stress

C14: stresse, shortened from distress

British Dictionary definitions for stress (2 of 2)

-stress

suffix forming nouns

indicating a woman who performs or is engaged in a certain activitysongstress; seamstress Compare -ster (def. 1)

Word Origin for -stress

from -st (e) r + -ess

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stress (1 of 2)

stress

c.1300, "hardship, adversity, force, pressure," in part a shortening of Middle French destresse (see distress), in part from Old French estrece "narrowness, oppression," from Vulgar Latin *strictia, from Latin strictus "compressed," past participle of stringere "draw tight" (see strain (v.)). The purely psychological sense is attested from 1942.

Word Origin and History for stress (1 of 2)

stress

c.1300, "to subject (someone) to force or compulsion," from the source of stress (n.). The figurative meaning "put emphasis on" is first recorded 1896, from notion of laying pressure on something by relying on it. Related: Stressed; stressing.

Medicine definitions for stress

stress

[ strĕs ]

n.

An applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body.

The resisting force set up in a body as a result of an externally applied force.

A physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological reactions that may lead to illness.

Science definitions for stress

stress

[ strĕs ]

The force per unit area applied to an object. Objects subject to stress tend to become distorted or deformed. Compare strain. See also axial stress shear stress. See more at Hooke's law.

A physiologic reaction by an organism to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar physical or psychological stimulus. Biological changes result from stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, including a heightened state of alertness, anxiety, increased heart rate, and sweating.
The stimulus or circumstance causing such a reaction.

Culture definitions for stress (1 of 2)

stress

In physics, the internal resistance of an object to an external force that tends to deform it.

Culture definitions for stress (2 of 2)

stress

A physical factor, such as injury, or mental state, such as anxiety, that disturbs the body's normal state of functioning. Stress may contribute to the development of some illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

Note

The term stress also refers to the physical and mental state produced in the body when it is influenced by such factors: “The stress of the new job was too much for Tim, so he requested reassignment to his old position in the company.”

stress

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of stress

Definition for stress (2 of 2)

-stress

Origin of -stress

Examples from the Web for stress

British Dictionary definitions for stress (1 of 2)

stress

noun

verb

Word Origin for stress

British Dictionary definitions for stress (2 of 2)

-stress

suffix forming nouns

Word Origin for -stress

Word Origin and History for stress (1 of 2)

stress

Word Origin and History for stress (1 of 2)

stress

Medicine definitions for stress

stress

n.

Science definitions for stress

stress

Culture definitions for stress (1 of 2)

stress

Culture definitions for stress (2 of 2)

stress

Note