Main entry: tense
Definition: a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
Main entry: strain, tense, tense up
Definition: cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
Usage: he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
Definition: become tense, nervous, or uneasy
Usage: He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room
Main entry: tense
Definition: increase the tension on
Usage: alternately relax and tense your calf muscle; tense the rope manually before tensing the spring
Definition: become stretched or tense or taut
Usage: the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed; the rope strained when the weight was attached
Main entry: tense
Definition: taut or rigid; stretched tight
Usage: tense piano strings
Main entry: tense
Definition: pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
Main entry: tense
Definition: in or of a state of physical or nervous tension