stress definition

1. the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
• examples: he put the stress on the wrong syllable
2. special emphasis attached to something
• examples: the stress was more on accuracy than on speed
3. difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; ; - R.J.Samuelson
• examples: she endured the stresses and strains of life
• examples: he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger
4. (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body
• examples: the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area
5. to stress, single out as important
• examples: Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet
6. put stress on; utter with an accent
• examples: In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word