tension
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The physical condition of being stretched or strained.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
tehnshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtɛnʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The physical condition of being stretched or strained
“It places great tension on the leg muscles.”
The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
A psychological state of being tense.
A feeling of nervousness, excitement, or fear that is created in a movie, book, etc.; suspense.
verb
To place an object in tension, to pull or place strain on.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The physical condition of being stretched or strained
Used this way, tension is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“It places great tension on the leg muscles.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “tension on …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- stress , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Natural pattern: tension on …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use tension
- “It places great tension on the leg muscles.”noun
- “He suffered from fatigue and emotional tension.”noun
- “Tension holds the belt in the pulleys.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A headache located at the back of the head.
Subjected to or capable of operating under relatively high voltage.
Surface tension at the surface separating two non-miscible liquids.
Surface tension at the surface separating two non-miscible liquids.
Subjected to or capable of operating under relative low voltage.
Glaucoma that results from damage to the optic nerve although the intraocular pressure is normal.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.