tenses

From the verb tense: (⇒ conjugate)

tenses is: ⓘ

v 3rd person singular

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

tense¹ /tɛns/   adj., tens•er, tens•est, v., tensed, tens•ing. 
adj. 

1. stretched tight, as a cord, etc.;
   rigid or stiff:
   tense muscles.
2. of or relating to a state of nervous strain:
   a tense moment.

v. 

3. to make or become tense: [no object]
   Her neck muscles tensed in the sudden cold.
   [~ (+ up) + object]
   He tensed (up) his muscles when he heard the guard open his cell.

tense•ly, adv. 

: They sat tensely through the whole movie.

tense•ness, n. [uncountable] See -tend-.

tense² /tɛns/   n. 

1. Grammar a category of verbs or changes in the forms of verbs that serve chiefly to show or refer to the time of the action or state expressed by the verb;
   one of the forms of a verb that conveys time:
   [countable] How many verb tenses are there in English?
   [uncountable] how different languages express tense.

See -temp-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tense¹ (tens),  adj., tens•er, tens•est, v., tensed, tens•ing. 

adj. 

1. stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.;
   drawn taut;
   rigid.
2. in a state of mental or nervous strain;
   high-strung;
   taut:
   a tense person.
3. characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings:
   a tense moment.
4. Phonetics pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles;
   narrow. Cf. lax (def. 7).

v.t., v.i. 

5. to make or become tense.

• Latin tēnsus past participle of tendere to stretch; see tend¹
• 1660–70

tense′ly, adv. 
tense′ness, n. 

tense² (tens),  n. 

1. Grammar a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.
2. Grammar a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.
3. Grammar the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.
4. Grammar such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

• Latin tempus time
• Middle French
• Middle English tens 1275–1325

tense′less, adj. 
tense′less•ly, adv. 
tense′less•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tense / tɛns/ adjective

1. stretched or stressed tightly; taut or rigid
2. under mental or emotional strain
3. producing mental or emotional strain: a tense day
4. (of a speech sound) pronounced with considerable muscular effort and having relatively precise accuracy of articulation and considerable duration: in English the vowel ( iː ) in 'beam' is tense
   Compare lax14

verb

1. (often followed by up) to make or become tense

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin tensus taut, from tendere to stretch

ˈtensely adverb

ˈtenseness noun

tense / tɛns/ noun

a category of the verb or verbal inflections, such as present, past, and future, that expresses the temporal relations between what is reported in a sentence and the time of its utterance

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French tens time, from Latin tempus

ˈtenseless adjective