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Definition of "tension" []

  • The act or process of stretching something tight. (noun)
  • The condition of so being stretched; tautness. (noun)
  • A force tending to stretch or elongate something. (noun)
  • A measure of such a force: a tension on the cable of 50 pounds. (noun)
  • Mental, emotional, or nervous strain: working under great tension to make a deadline. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "tension" in a sentence
  • "•tension or compression shall not exceed the extreme fibre stress given above for rolled beams and shapes, or in case of built members the above tension and compression stresses -"
  • "The main tension is between communist Russia and capitalist America."
  • "We do find out, but the ending seems to diffuse the tension is a less than satisfactory way."