Lexic.us

Definition of Tense

1. Noun. A grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time.

2. Verb. Become stretched or tense or taut. "The rope strained when the weight was attached"

3. Adjective. In or of a state of physical or nervous tension.

4. Verb. Increase the tension on. "Tense the rope manually before tensing the spring"

5. Adjective. Pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in 'beat').

6. Verb. Become tense, nervous, or uneasy. "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room"

7. Adjective. Taut or rigid; stretched tight. "Tense piano strings"

8. Verb. Cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious. "He got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"

Definition of Tense

1. n. One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time.

2. a. Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber.

Definition of Tense

1. Noun. (grammar) Any of the forms of a verb which distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists. ¹

2. Adjective. Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed. ¹

3. Adjective. Pulled taut, without any slack. ¹

4. Verb. To make or become tense. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tense

1. taut [v TENSED, TENSING, TENSES] - See also: taut

Medical Definition of Tense

1. Tight, rigid, or strained; characterised by anxiety and psychological strain. Origin: L. Tensus, pp. Of tendo, to stretch (05 Mar 2000)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tense

tenpences tenpenny tenpenny nail tenpercenteries tenpercentery tenpin tenpin bowling tenpins tenpounder tenpounders

tenrec tenrecs tens tensal tenscore tense (current term) tense part of the tympanic membrane tense pulse tense system tense up

tensed tensegrities tensegrity tenseless tensely tenseness tensenesses tenser tenses tensest

Literary usage of Tense

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Grammar of the German Language: Designed for a Thoro and Practical Study by George Oliver Curme (1922)
"Sie sagten, sie hätten (a past tense form instead of the present tense form haben) es nicht getan. Sie sagten, sie würden (a past tense form instead of the ..."

2. English Grammar Simplified: Its Study Made Easy by James Champlin Fernald (1916)
"Past tense.—I, he, we, you, they /iod.t Present Perfect and Past Perfect of all Verbs.—By adding to the present or past indicative of have the past ..."

3. English Grammar Simplified: Its Study Made Easy by James Champlin Fernald (1916)
"Must expresses absolute or imperative necessity, without change of mode, tense, person, or number. POTENTIAL MODE Present tense may, can, ..."

4. A Grammar of the Homeric Dialect by David Binning Monro (1882)
"Verb-Stem and tense-Stem. A comparison of the different forms of a Greek VERB ... Again, the different forms belonging to any one tense are based upon a ..."

5. The Beginner's Greek Book by John Williams White (1892)
"The tense-stems (152) so far presented may be grouped in the following tense-Systems : — a. ... tense-suffix none (in the fut. perf. -<г°Д_), tense-stem ..."

6. The Classical World by Classical Association of the Atlantic States (1916)
"Professor Hale's statement is, as already quoted, "A subjunctive clause is, in regard to its tense, not dependent upon the principal clause"; ..."

7. The Century Handbook of Writing by Garland Greever, Easley Stephen Jones (1918)
"In dependent clauses and infinitives, the tense is to be considered in relation to ... When narration in the past tense is interrupted for reference to a ..."

Other Resources: