tension

American  

[ten-shuhn] / ˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

tensions plural

1. the act of stretching or straining.

2. the state of being stretched or strained.

3. mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety, or excitement.

4. a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.

5. (not in current use) pressure, especially of a vapor.

6. Mechanics.

   1. the longitudinal deformation of an elastic body that results in its elongation.

   2. the force producing such deformation.

7. Electricity. electromotive force; potential.

8. Machinery. a device for stretching or pulling something.

9. a device to hold the proper tension on the material being woven in a loom.

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verb (used with object)

1. to subject (a cable, belt, tendon, or the like) to tension, especially for a specific purpose.

tension British  

/ ˈtɛnʃən /

noun

1. the act of stretching or the state or degree of being stretched

2. mental or emotional strain; stress

3. a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness

4. physics a force that tends to produce an elongation of a body or structure

5. physics

   1. voltage, electromotive force, or potential difference

   2. ( in combination )

      high-tension

      low-tension

6. a device for regulating the tension in a part, string, thread, etc, as in a sewing machine

7. knitting the degree of tightness or looseness with which a person knits

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tension Scientific  

/ tĕn′shən /

1. A force that tends to stretch or elongate something.

2. An electrical potential (voltage), especially as measured in electrical components such as transformers or power lines involved in the transmission of electrical power.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overtension
  noun
• supertension
  noun
• tensional
  adjective
• tensionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tensions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tension

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin tēnsiōn-, stem of tēnsiō, “a stretching,” equivalent to tēns(us) “stretched” (past participle of tendere “to stretch, extend, proceed”; see tend ¹) + -iō -ion

Explanation

When things feel so tight they might snap, that's tension. If you buy your girlfriend a vacuum cleaner when she wanted diamonds, you will experience tension. Just before she storms out of the room. The noun tension has its Latin roots in tendere, which means to stretch, and tension occurs when something is stretched either physically or emotionally. Strained relations between countries can cause political tensions to rise. You can add tension to a rubber band by stretching it tight. You can release nervous tension by releasing that tension in the rubber band, when you shoot it at your brother.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tension tensions

They sing in unison, both in tension and harmony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The popular response to Operation Metro Surge did not resolve that tension by choosing the city over the federal government.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The tension on “The French Chef” was about a massacred bûche de noël or whether that roast-chicken-to-come was being abused.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

According to GfE, gravity emerges from an informational tension between the actual spacetime metric and another metric produced by matter fields and spacetime curvature.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Nikita Khrushchev was back on stage at the Kremlin, again playing to a crowded house, loving every minute of the building tension.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

After weeks of tensions and fighting, the talks give both the U.S. and Iran a chance for a breather.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

But they’re a good humored set and don’t like it when tensions linger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The Iran-Oman talks are also serving to ease tensions between two countries that have long had close ties despite larger disagreements between Tehran and the Arab world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Bali, Indonesia's famed tropical paradise, has become a hostspot for digital nomads in recent years, resulting in growing tensions between expats and locals.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

And I submit, then, that the racial tensions that menace Americans today have little to do with real antipathy—on the contrary, indeed—and are involved only symbolically with color.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• anxiety
• apprehension
• concern
• discomfort
• hostility
• jitters
• nervousness
• pressure
• strain
• suspense
• unease
• worry