8 Wintry Words to Defrost Your Vocabulary


[ten-shuh n] /ˈtɛn ʃən/
the act of stretching or straining.
the state of being stretched or strained.
a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.
(not in current use) pressure, especially of a vapor.
  1. the longitudinal deformation of an elastic body that results in its elongation.
  2. the force producing such deformation.
Electricity. electromotive force; potential.
Machinery. a device for stretching or pulling something.
a device to hold the proper tension on the material being woven in a loom.
verb (used with object)
to subject (a cable, belt, tendon, or the like) to tension, especially for a specific purpose.
1525-35; < Latin tēnsiōn- (stem of tēnsiō) a stretching. See tense1, -ion
Related forms
tensional, adjective
tensionless, adjective
overtension, noun
supertension, noun Unabridged
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Examples from the web for tension
  • The shrill ring of the block-sheaves indicates a tension that is not far from breaking-point.
  • It has been suggested that this phenomenon may be explained by alteration in surface tension.
  • The first factor is the expectancy of danger which expresses itself in heightened sensory attention and in motor tension.
  • There is a tension between history and memory, and they are not always the same thing.
  • Old interpretations hung on even as new discoveries changed our perspective, and one way to track this tension is through comics.
  • That's the constant tension in comic book stories about dinosaurs.
  • Her work has frequently tested the boundaries between architecture and art-a tension that she cultivates.
British Dictionary definitions for tension


the act of stretching or the state or degree of being stretched
mental or emotional strain; stress
a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness
(physics) a force that tends to produce an elongation of a body or structure
  1. voltage, electromotive force, or potential difference
  2. (in combination): high-tension, low-tension
a device for regulating the tension in a part, string, thread, etc, as in a sewing machine
(knitting) the degree of tightness or looseness with which a person knits
Derived Forms
tensional, adjective
tensionless, adjective
Word Origin
C16: from Latin tensiō, from tendere to strain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for tension

1530s, "a stretched condition," from Middle French tension, from Latin tensionem (nominative tensio) "a stretching" (in Medieval Latin "a struggle, contest"), noun of state from tensus, past participle of tendere "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "stretch" (see tenet). The sense of "nervous strain" is first recorded 1763. The meaning "electromotive force" (in high-tension wires) is recorded from 1802.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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tension in Medicine

tension ten·sion (těn'shən)
Abbr. T

  1. The act or process of stretching something tight.

  2. The condition of so being stretched.

  3. A force tending to stretch or elongate something.

  4. The partial pressure of a gas, especially dissolved in a liquid such as blood.

  5. Mental, emotional, or nervous strain.

  6. Barely controlled hostility or a strained relationship between people or groups.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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tension in Science
  1. A force that tends to stretch or elongate something.

  2. An electrical potential (voltage), especially as measured in electrical components such as transformers or power lines involved in the transmission of electrical power.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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