Open English Wordnet
Nouns
(n)tensea grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time Verbs
(v)strain, tensebecome stretched or tense or taut“the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed”,
“the rope strained when the weight was attached” (v)tenseincrease the tension on“alternately relax and tense your calf muscle”,
“tense the rope manually before tensing the spring” (v)tense, tense upbecome tense, nervous, or uneasy“He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room” (v)tense, strain, tense upcause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious“he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up” Adjectives
(a)tensein or of a state of physical or nervous tension (a)tensepronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in ‘beat’) (a)tensetaut or rigid; stretched tight“tense piano strings”