tension

USTEN-shun/ˈtɛnʃən/

7 meanings of tension

1
noununcountable
A nervous, worried feeling that makes it hard to relax.
Like a tight knot in your stomach before something scary happens.
There was so much tension in the room before the exam started.
You could feel the tension between the two teammates after the argument.
Similarstress, strain, anxiety, nervousness
Oppositecalm, relaxation
2
noununcountable
A pulling or pushing between two forces that work against each other.
Like a game of tug-of-war where both teams pull and nobody moves.
The tension between the two ropes kept the tent standing upright.
There is steady tension as the spring pulls one way and the weight pulls the other.
Oppositecompression
Note
3
noununcountable
The exciting, nervous feeling a story or movie gives you while you wait to see what happens.
Like waiting to open a gift when you don't know what's inside.
The tension in the final chapter kept me reading past midnight.
Spooky music adds to the tension in a horror movie.
Similarsuspense, excitement
4
noununcountable
The pulling force that travels through a rope, string, or cable.
Like how a guitar string feels tight when you pull on both ends.
The tension in the rope held the heavy sign in place.
If you pull harder on the string, the tension in it gets stronger.
Note
5
noununcountable
The stretched state of an elastic thing when it is pulled longer.
Like a rubber band that gets longer when you pull it.
The tension in the stretched rubber band made it snap back quickly.
A trampoline bounces you because of the tension in its stretched springs.
Similartautness, tightness
Oppositeslackness, slack
Note
6
verbtransitive
To pull something tight or put strain on it.
Like pulling a shoelace tight before you tie it.
Workers tension the cables before locking them into place.
You need to tension the strings to tune a guitar.
Similartighten, tauten, stretch
Oppositeloosen, slacken
Note
7
noununcountable
Voltage: the push that moves electricity through a wire.
Like water pressure pushing water through a pipe, but for electricity.
The tension across the battery was twelve volts.
High tension in the power lines can be deadly.
Similarvoltage
Note

Practice

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Origin

It came from a French word 'tension', which came from Latin 'tēnsiō'.