noun

1. TENSE, a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
2. TENSE, to make (a muscle) hard and tight
3. TENSE, to become nervous or tense

verb

1. TENSE, cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
2. TENSE, become tense, nervous, or uneasy
3. TENSE, increase the tension on
4. TENSE, become stretched or tense or taut
5. TENSE, nervous and not able to relax
6. TENSE, showing or causing nervousness
7. TENSE, not relaxed but hard and tight

adjective

1. TENSE, taut or rigid; stretched tight
2. TENSE, pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in beat')
3. TENSE, in or of a state of physical or nervous tension

1. She was feeling pretty tense.
2. Why are you so tense?
3. We sat quietly for a few tense moments.
4. She tensed as he walked toward her.
5. He tensed up and missed the putt.
6. The sentence will read better if you change the tense of the verb.
7. You should avoid changing tense in the middle of a paragraph.