Tense (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

adjective, tens·er, tens·est.
  1. stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid.
  2. in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung; taut: a tense person.
  3. characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings: a tense moment.
  4. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles; narrow.
verb (used with or without object), tensed, tens·ing.
  1. to make or become tense.
noun
  1. a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.
  2. a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.
  3. the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.
  4. such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.
adjective
  1. stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid
  2. under mental or emotional strain
  3. producing mental or emotional strain
  4. (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration
verb
  1. to make or become tense
noun
  1. a category of the verb or verbal inflections, such as present, past, and future, that expresses the temporal relations between what is reported in a sentence and the time of its utterance
Tense (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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