tense definition

1. a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
2. increase the tension on
• examples: alternately relax and tense your calf muscle
• examples: tense the rope manually before tensing the spring
3. become tense, nervous, or uneasy
• examples: He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room
4. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
• examples: he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up
5. in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
6. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
7. taut or rigid; stretched tight
• examples: tense piano strings