About The Word Tense

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Tense

Tense Meaning & Definition
Tense Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Tense?

[n] a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
[adj] taut or rigid; stretched tight; "tense piano strings"
[adj] (phonetics) pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
[adj] in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
[v] make tense
[v] become tense or tenser; "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room"
[v] increase the tension on; "tense a rope"
[v] stretch or force to the limit; "strain the rope"

Synonyms | Synonyms for Tense: aroused | cliff-hanging | constricted | drawn | edgy | electric | highly strung | high-strung | in suspense(p) | isotonic | jittery | jumpy | nail-biting | nervous | nervy | overstrung | pumped up(p) | pumped(p) | pumped-up(a) | restive | strain | strain | strained | suspenseful | suspensive | taut | tense up | tight | unrelaxed | uptight | wired | wound up

Related Terms | Find terms related to Tense:

See Also | affect | agitated | alter | aorist | change | change state | continuous tense | crick | extend | future | future tense | grammatical category | imperfect | imperfect tense | past | past tense | perfect | perfect tense | perfective | perfective tense | present | present tense | progressive | progressive tense | stretch | syntactic category | tense | tighten | turn | uneasy

Tense In Webster's Dictionary

\Tense\, n. [OF. tens, properly, time, F. temps time, tense. See {Temporal} of time, and cf. {Thing}.] (Gram.) One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time. Note: The primary simple tenses are three: those which express time past, present, and future; but these admit of modifications, which differ in different languages.
\Tense\, a. [L. tensus, p. p. of tendere to stretch. See {Tend} to move, and cf. {Toise}.] Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber. The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her. --Goldsmith. -- {Tense"ly}, adv. -- {Tense"ness}, n.

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