Lexic.us

Definition of Tense up

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

2. 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 up

1. Verb. (intransitive) To become tense. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tense Up

tenpercentery tenpin tenpin bowling tenpins tenpounder tenpounders tenrec tenrecs tens tensal

tenscore tense tense part of the tympanic membrane tense pulse tense system tense up (current term) tensed tensegrities tensegrity tenseless

tensely tenseness tensenesses tenser tenses tensest tensibility tensible tensibly tenside

Literary usage of Tense up

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

1. The Journal of Sacred Literature by John Kitto, Henry Burgess, Benjamin Harris Cowper (1863)
"of the Holy Spirit from the Jordan, and was led (imperfect tense) up and down in the wilderness under the influence of the Spirit (eV TUi ..."

2. Counselor's Manual for Relapse Prevention with Chemically Dependent Criminal by Terence T. Gorski, John M. Kelley (1999)
"Does the person tense up, tap his or her foot, shift around, etc.? When you see these cues, make the patient aware of them and let him or her know what this ..."

3. Out of the Depths by David Harrell (2005)
"Excruciating body cramps would often follow these episodes. Every muscle fiber in my body would tense up to make me as small a target as I could possibly ..."

4. The Journal of Sacred Literature and Biblical Record (1863)
"of the Holy Spirit from the Jordan, and was led (imperfect tense) up and down in the wilderness under the influence of the Spirit (eV To3 ..."

5. Notes and dissertations principally on difficulties in the scriptures of the by Albert Henry Wratislaw (1863)
"... more or less during the whole forty days: " And Jesus returned full of the Holy Spirit from the Jordan, and Was led (imperfect tense) up and down in the ..."

6. The Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica: A Record of the Positive Effects of by Timothy Field Allen (1878)
"Painful stiffness of the left cervical muscles; it is tense up to the head,1.—Feeling of stiffness in the nape of the neck during rest, disappearing on ..."

7. Let 'er Buck, a Story of the Passing of the Old West by Charles Wellington Furlong (1921)
""Turn him round," he snaps to the wranglers The rider knows that though the old outlaw is standing apparently square, he is really "tense up" to "throw back ..."

Other Resources: