definitions

tensile strength

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tensile strength ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the resistance of a material to longitudinal stress, measured by the minimum amount of longitudinal stress required to rupture the material.

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RELATED WORDS

inflexibility, toughness, hardness, durability, solidity, density, resistance, compactness, imperviousness, temper, rigidity, impermeability, inelasticity, impenetrability

Nearby words

tense logic, tensegrity, tensely, tensible, tensile, tensile strength, tensile stress, tensilely, tensility, tensimeter, tensiometer

Origin of tensile strength

First recorded in 1860–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for tensile strength

tensile strength

noun

a measure of the ability of a material to withstand a longitudinal stress, expressed as the greatest stress that the material can stand without breaking
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

Science definitions for tensile strength

tensile strength

[ tĕn′səl, tĕn′sīl′ ]

A measure of the ability of material to resist a force that tends to pull it apart. It is expressed as the minimum tensile stress (force per unit area) needed to split the material apart.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.