Tense - Definition

adj 1: in or of a state of physical or nervous tension [ant:
relaxed]
2: pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the
vowel sound in `beat') [ant: lax]
3: taut or rigid; stretched tight; "tense piano strings" [ant:
lax]
n 1: a grammatical category of verbs used to express
distinctions of time
v 1: become stretched or tense or taut; "the bodybuilder's neck
muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was
attached" [syn: strain, tense]
2: increase the tension on; "alternately relax and tense your
calf muscle"; "tense the rope manually before tensing the
spring"
3: become tense, nervous, or uneasy; "He tensed up when he saw
his opponent enter the room" [syn: tense, tense up] [ant:
decompress, loosen up, relax, slow down, unbend,
unwind]
4: cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a
phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up" [syn: tense,
strain, tense up] [ant: loosen up, make relaxed,
relax, unlax, unstrain, unwind]