stress

[ stres ]

/ strɛs /

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See synonyms for: stress / stressed / stresses / stressing 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR stress

1 significance, meaning, emphasis, consequence; weight, value, worth.

8 anxiety, burden, pressure, oppression; effort, exertion, struggle, strain.

See synonyms for stress on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of stress

First recorded in 1275–1325; (noun) Middle English stresse, aphetic variant of distresse; (verb) derivative of the noun; see origin at distress

OTHER WORDS FROM stress

stressless, 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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stress

accent, stress

Other definitions 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. 2023

How to use stress in a sentence

While he didn’t know it at the time, the incident left him with post traumatic stress disorder.
Meet the unicorn founder that braved war zones and missed meetings to make his mark on the startup world|Lucinda Shen|November 20, 2020|Fortune
For many, it was novel and a little fun, the usual stress of finals season gone.
The pandemic isn’t ending anytime soon. And our bodies are feeling the stress.|Petula Dvorak|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
This can include any stress you’re feeling, any isolation or any drugs you may be taking.
Warning! Junk foods can harm a teen’s brain|Sharon Oosthoek|November 19, 2020|Science News For Students
It might not always be possible to train a single model that passes all stress tests.
The way we train AI is fundamentally flawed|Will Heaven|November 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review

We then put them through a stress test to see what kind of financial losses a 100-day shutdown would produce.
Why investing in supply chain resilience pays off|lbelanger225|November 16, 2020|Fortune
Magnology is safe, stressless, and permanently powerful in stasis.
And Then the Town Took Off|Richard Wilson

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 forms of stress

stressful, 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

Scientific 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.

Cultural definitions for stress (1 of 2)

stress

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

Cultural 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.

notes for stress

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

OTHER WORDS FOR stress

Origin of stress

OTHER WORDS FROM stress

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH stress

Other definitions for stress (2 of 2)

Origin of -stress

Words related to stress

How to use stress in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stress (1 of 2)

Derived forms of stress

Word Origin for stress

British Dictionary definitions for stress (2 of 2)

Word Origin for -stress

Scientific definitions for stress

Cultural definitions for stress (1 of 2)

Cultural definitions for stress (2 of 2)

notes for stress