Thesaurus: tense

Related headwords

Definitions

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.
3. adj. in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
4. adj. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in ‘beat’)
5. adj. taut or rigid; stretched tight
6. n. a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
7. v. become stretched or tense or taut
8. v. increase the tension on
9. v. become tense, nervous, or uneasy
10. v. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
11. 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. Note: The primary simple tenses are three: those which express time past, present, and future; but these admit of modifications, which differ in different languages. Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, a tense fiber. The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her. Goldsmith. -- Tense"ly, adv. -- Tense"ness, n.
12. One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by addingauxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or eventsignified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication oftime.