tense
adjective
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taut or rigid
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pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
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in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
noun
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a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
verb
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cause to be uneasy or nervous or anxious“The corporation got a phone call from their lawyers that tensed them up.”strain
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become tense, nervous, or uneasy“I tensed up when I saw my enemies approaching.”tense up
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increase the tension on“alternately relax and tense your calf muscle”
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become stretched or tense or taut“the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed”strain