tense

¹ American  

[tens] / tɛns /

adjective

• tenser,
  comparative
• tensest
  superlative

1. stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid.

2. in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung; taut.

   a tense person.

3. characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings.

   a tense moment.

4. Phonetics. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles; narrow.

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verb (used with or without object)

• tenses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tensed,
  past participle,  past
• tensing
  present participle

1. to make or become tense.

tense ² American  

[tens] / tɛns /

noun

• tenses
  plural

1. a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.

2. a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.

3. the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.

4. such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

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tense ¹ British  

/ tɛns /

adjective

1. stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid

2. under mental or emotional strain

3. producing mental or emotional strain

   a tense day

4. (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration Compare lax

   in English the vowel (iː) in ``beam'' is tense

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to make or become tense

tense ² British  

/ tɛns /

noun

1. grammar a category of the verb or verbal inflections, such as present, past, and future, that expresses the temporal relations between what is reported in a sentence and the time of its utterance

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tense Cultural  

1. An inflectional (see inflection) form of verbs; it expresses the time at which the action described by the verb takes place. The major tenses are past, present, and future. The verb in “I sing” is in the present tense; in “I sang,” past tense; in “I will sing,” future tense. Other tenses are the present perfect (“I have sung”), the past perfect (“I had sung”), and the future perfect (“I will have sung”).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tenselessness
  noun
• tenseness
  noun
• tenseless
  adjective
• untensing
  adjective
• tenselessly
  adverb
• tensely
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tenses
  plural

Adjectives

• tenser
  comparative
• tensest
  superlative

Participles

• tensing
  present
• tensed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tense
  simple
• tenses
  simple
• have tensed
  perfect
• has tensed
  perfect
• am tensing
  progressive
• are tensing
  progressive
• is tensing
  progressive
• have been tensing
  perfect progressive
• has been tensing
  perfect progressive

Past

• tensed
  simple
• had tensed
  perfect
• was tensing
  progressive
• were tensing
  progressive
• had been tensing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tense
  simple
• will have tensed
  perfect
• will be tensing
  progressive
• will have been tensing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of tense¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendere “to stretch”; see tend ¹

Origin of tense²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tens, from Middle French, from Latin tempus “time”

Explanation

When something's stretched tight, it's tense. A rope can be tense. So can a muscle. When a person's tense, they're anxious. When a situation is tense, you might say you could "cut the tension with a knife." When a muscle tenses up, it contracts suddenly–-a person can be said to tense up also. The opposite of tense is "relaxed." If you tense up during exams, it's probably best to learn some relaxation techniques. The brain works best when it's relaxed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tense tenses tenser tensest tensed tensing

On a particularly tense drive, they are chased by scorching, wind-fueled wildfires and volcanic ash spewing from Mount Etna.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

At times it felt tense witnessing the two sparring in the courtroom, with Rogers accusing her of repeatedly lying.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Panettiere said in an interview that she was tense during that scene. particularly since it was the first time the two actors had met.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

It will be a tense double-header as nine drivers are currently in contention for the championship title, with fellow Brit Jake Dennis currently topping the table.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

I remembered how tense everyone had been after the news broke.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

“When I’m frustrated and my eyes roll and my voice tenses, they feel that,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Mr. Drout analyzes with clarity and humor Tolkien’s fascination with Finnish grammar, the distinctive ways he uses pronouns and the particular verb tenses he favors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

As the ants start to attack, the larva tenses its muscles and expels a drop of bright red fluid known as hemolymph.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 15, 2024

Viramontes’ prose jumps between tenses, perspectives and styles so much you find yourself reading each story multiple times — to understand it but also to sit in awe of her gorgeous dexterity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2023

We now see that the past tense has a third meaning in English: a backshifted event in a sequence of tenses.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

“As the night progressed, it got tenser and tenser. There were just more cops on all sides. It felt like we were being slowly pushed in and crushed,” said Ocean Muir, a sophomore.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

And this reaction evokes the challenge CNN faces as its news team barrels into a national election cycle that's already looking tenser and more fraught than 2020's or 2022's nailbiters.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2023

Things got tenser when Hyundai and LG Energy Solution announced a $4.3 billion electric battery plant in May at Hyundai’s new complex.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

The atmosphere among the home fans turned slightly tenser when Brighton halved the deficit, but the noise increased to thunderous levels again after the two late goals removed any lingering doubts.

From BBC ● May 18, 2023

“Four, three, two . “Oppenheimer, on whom had rested a very heavy burden, grew tenser as the last seconds ticked off,” remembered Farrell.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

But the tensest battle over the novel may have been fought in Panama City, Fla. in the mid-1980s.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2024

But combine that with spectacular writing, which delivered one of the tensest season finales in recent memory, and I’m anxious to find out what’s next.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2022

Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre describes this as the tensest security situation the country has faced in decades.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2022

The tensest moment of the debate was when Bolsonaro called da Silva to stand next to him as he answered a question.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2022

The next forty-eight hours, Hitler later confessed, were the tensest of his life.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

When her sister, Rowe, walked in that morning, she found Waldorf with her eyes wide and glazed over, her jaw tensed.

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaaz said he tensed up as he was grabbed by the arm and recognised it was a police officer when he turned round.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Imagine how the majority of spectators would have tensed up when manager Dave Roberts trudged to the mound to remove Alex Vesia if the game was actually close.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025

Most major office buildings, include Elephant’s, had an earthquake protocol; upon detecting a quake, microfibers in the walls tensed up to enforce the structure of the building.

From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2024

She tensed as a thought crossed her mind.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

After a difficult doctor’s appointment with her mother recently, Thompson says she felt her whole body tensing up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025

"Sometimes, I catch myself tensing up," Justin said.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023

“I’m tensing up. There’s a lot of stuff I can do to protect myself.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

Ms Letby, who became the child's dedicated nurse later that evening, noted at 21:14 that he was tensing his limbs, curling his fingers and toes and rotating his hands and feet inwards.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2023

For a second, she wasn’t sure why she was tensing up.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• agitated
• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• excited
• jittery
• nervous
• restive
• shaky
• strained
• stressful
• uneasy