tensions

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of tension.

   Diplomatic tensions escalated sharply after the border incident.

   Years of unspoken tensions within the family finally surfaced at the reunion.

   Note

   The singular often names a general state, but the plural counts separate strains: diplomatic tensions, tensions within a family, each one a distinct friction or conflict. So rising tensions suggests several pressures at once, not one. The same spelling also serves as the verb's present form. A determiner or adjective in front (the tensions, ethnic tensions) marks the noun.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of tension.

   The rigger tensions every line to the exact load specified in the plan.

   A skilled upholsterer tensions the fabric evenly across the frame.

   Note

   A workshop verb made from the noun: to tension something is to pull it taut, and it always takes a direct object, the thing being strained, such as a cable, a line or fabric across a frame. Its home is mechanical work like rigging, turnbuckles and upholstery. It inflects regularly, which is why its -s form collides with the plural noun.

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