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Synonyms

tension

American  
[ten-shuhn] / ˈtɛn ʃən /

noun

  1. the act of stretching or straining.

  2. the state of being stretched or strained.

  3. mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety, or excitement.

  4. a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.

  5. (not in current use) pressure, especially of a vapor.

  6. Mechanics.

    1. the longitudinal deformation of an elastic body that results in its elongation.

    2. the force producing such deformation.

  7. Electricity. electromotive force; potential.

  8. Machinery. a device for stretching or pulling something.

  9. a device to hold the proper tension on the material being woven in a loom.

verb (used with object)

  1. to subject (a cable, belt, tendon, or the like) to tension, especially for a specific purpose.

tension British  
/ ˈtɛnʃən /

noun

  1. the act of stretching or the state or degree of being stretched

  2. mental or emotional strain; stress

  3. a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness

  4. physics a force that tends to produce an elongation of a body or structure

  5. physics

    1. voltage, electromotive force, or potential difference

    2. ( in combination )

      high-tension

      low-tension

  6. a device for regulating the tension in a part, string, thread, etc, as in a sewing machine

  7. knitting the degree of tightness or looseness with which a person knits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tension Scientific  
/ tĕn′shən /

  1. A force that tends to stretch or elongate something.

  2. An electrical potential (voltage), especially as measured in electrical components such as transformers or power lines involved in the transmission of electrical power.

Other Word Forms

  • overtension noun
  • supertension noun
  • tensional adjective
  • tensionless adjective

Etymology

Origin of tension

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin tēnsiōn-, stem of tēnsiō, “a stretching,” equivalent to tēns(us) “stretched” (past participle of tendere “to stretch, extend, proceed”; tend 1 ) + -iō -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.