From Middle English tens, from Old French tens (modern French temps), from Latin tempus. Doublet of tempo and tempus.
Meanings
(uncountable) The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
Dyirbal verbs are not inflected for tense.
(countable) An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense.
In ſo moche that if any verbe be of the thyꝛde coniugation
I ſet out all his rotes and tenſes[…] 1530 July 18, Iohan Palſgrave, “The Introduction”, in Leſclarciſſement de la langue francoyſe […] , London: Richard Pynſon, Iohan Haukyns, →OCLC, page 32; reprinted as Lesclarcissement de la langue françoyse, Genève: Slatkine Reprints, 1972:
English only has a past tense and a non-past tense; it has no future tense.
(countable, proscribed) A grammatical aspect.
(countable, proscribed) A verb form or construction indicating a combination of tense, aspect, and mood.
The "simple present" tense in English can have several meanings.
The Spanish teacher told the student to use the imperfect tense instead of the preterite tense.
hy ժամանակ (verb forms distinguishing time) · it tempo (verb forms distinguishing time) · fr temps verbal (verb forms distinguishing time) · cy amser (verb forms distinguishing time) · bg вре́ме (verb forms distinguishing time) · ga aimsir (verb forms distinguishing time) · ml കാലം (verb forms distinguishing time) · sk čas (verb forms distinguishing time) · ro timp (verb forms distinguishing time) · ar صِيغَة (verb forms distinguishing time) · bo དུས་གསུམ (verb forms distinguishing time) · tl panahunan (verb forms distinguishing time) · sw wakati (verb forms distinguishing time) · hu igeidő (verb forms distinguishing time) · et tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · mi wāheke (verb forms distinguishing time) · grc χρόνος (verb forms distinguishing time) · sv tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · vi thì (verb forms distinguishing time) · ta காலம் (verb forms distinguishing time) · fi tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · uk час (verb forms distinguishing time) · et ajavorm (verb forms distinguishing time) · da tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · lv laiks (verb forms distinguishing time) · he זְמַן (verb forms distinguishing time) · nl tijd (verb forms distinguishing time) · ru вре́мя (verb forms distinguishing time) · uz zamon (verb forms distinguishing time) · ky чак (verb forms distinguishing time) · hi काल (verb forms distinguishing time) · lt laikas (verb forms distinguishing time) · mk време (verb forms distinguishing time) · kk шақ (verb forms distinguishing time) · pt tempo (verb forms distinguishing time) · sh vreme (verb forms distinguishing time) · de Tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · iso ụkị (verb forms distinguishing time) · el χρόνος (verb forms distinguishing time) · sh вријеме (verb forms distinguishing time) · is tíð (verb forms distinguishing time) · cmn 時制 /时制 (verb forms distinguishing time) · fi aikaluokka (verb forms distinguishing time) · ca temps (verb forms distinguishing time) · cs slovesný čas (verb forms distinguishing time) · te కాలము (verb forms distinguishing time) · ug زامان (verb forms distinguishing time) · ko 시제 (verb forms distinguishing time) · la tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · be час (verb forms distinguishing time) · udm дыр (verb forms distinguishing time) · af tyd (verb forms distinguishing time) · enm tens (verb forms distinguishing time) · et aeg (verb forms distinguishing time) · af tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · de Zeit (verb forms distinguishing time) · sh време (verb forms distinguishing time) · tr zaman (verb forms distinguishing time) · fa زمان (verb forms distinguishing time) · mi wā (verb forms distinguishing time) · th กาล (verb forms distinguishing time) · ar صِيغَةُ الْفِعْل (verb forms distinguishing time) · fo tíð (verb forms distinguishing time) · cmn 時態 /时态 (verb forms distinguishing time) · ka დრო (verb forms distinguishing time) · mi wātū (verb forms distinguishing time) · fi aikamuoto (verb forms distinguishing time) · tg замон (verb forms distinguishing time) · cv вӑхӑт (verb forms distinguishing time) · nl tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · sq kohë (verb forms distinguishing time) · fr temps (verb forms distinguishing time) · nb tempus (verb forms distinguishing time) · mi wāmua (verb forms distinguishing time) · ar زَمَن (verb forms distinguishing time) · sl čas (verb forms distinguishing time) · az zaman (verb forms distinguishing time) · pl czas (verb forms distinguishing time) · ja 時制 (verb forms distinguishing time) · es tiempo (verb forms distinguishing time) · cs čas (verb forms distinguishing time) · nrf temps du vèrbe (verb forms distinguishing time) · sh vrijeme (verb forms distinguishing time)
Borrowed from Latin tēnsus, one form of the past participle of tendō (“stretch”).
Meanings
Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed.
"Attention," the tense man called out in Greek. "This is Lieutenant Kazamakis of the Cypriot Provisional Guard. You will immediately surrender all weapons and slowly come down the stairs, hands above your head." No answer. 2009 October 21, Richard Steinberg, The 4 Phase Man: A Novel, Bantam, →ISBN:
"There's no one in the house," Sahas cut him off quickly. "Actually[,] I have sent them away. I thought that only the two of us should share the special surprise." He gave a tense smile. 2018 February 10, Ratna Chandu,, For a Girl in a Star, Sristhi Publishers & Distributors, →ISBN:
You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.
Characterized by strain (on the nerves, emotions, etc). (Compare charged.)
Chi stops, but her eyes continue to pierce right through me and into Karima. A tense moment later, she drops her eyes back to the terminal and scans the data once more. The showdown is over, at least for the moment. 2022 June 16, Marc B. DeGeorge, A Call to the Sky, MuseMarc Studio LLC, →ISBN:
Pulled taut, without any slack.
(of a vowel) Produced with relative constriction of the vocal tract.
de gespannt (showing stress or strain) · ca tens (showing stress or strain) · fi jännittynyt (showing stress or strain) · eo streĉita (showing stress or strain) · ar مُتَوَتِّر (showing stress or strain) · ru напряжённый (produced with relative constriction of the vocal tract) · ota كركین (pulled taut) · uk натя́гнутий (pulled taut) · es tenso (showing stress or strain) · uk напружений (showing stress or strain) · is upptrekktur (showing stress or strain) · de verkrampft (showing stress or strain) · cmn 緊 /紧 (showing stress or strain) · el τεταμένος (showing stress or strain) · mi āmaimai (showing stress or strain) · de angespannt (showing stress or strain) · af styf (showing stress or strain) · nl strak (showing stress or strain) · tr gergin (showing stress or strain) · fi kireä (pulled taut) · sv spänd (showing stress or strain) · eo streĉa (showing stress or strain) · ru натя́нутый (pulled taut) · sv spänd (pulled taut) · et pingne (showing stress or strain) · cs napjatý (showing stress or strain) · cmn 緊張 /紧张 (showing stress or strain) · de straff (pulled taut) · pt tenso (showing stress or strain) · fi kireä (showing stress or strain) · ru напряжённый (showing stress or strain) · af gespanne (showing stress or strain) · de gespannt (pulled taut) · et pinev (showing stress or strain) · he מָתוּחַ (showing stress or strain) · is órólegur (showing stress or strain) · uk тугий (pulled taut) · ru туго́й (pulled taut) · fi hermostunut (showing stress or strain) · es tiesto (pulled taut) · es tenso (pulled taut) · bg напрегнат (showing stress or strain) · hu feszült (showing stress or strain) · bg обтегнат (pulled taut) · tr gergin (pulled taut) · el τεντωμένος (pulled taut) · ro încordat (showing stress or strain) · bg опънат (pulled taut) · mk напнат (showing stress or strain) · fi jännitetty (pulled taut) · pt estendido (pulled taut) · et pinguletõmmatud (pulled taut) · fr tendu (showing stress or strain) · pdt stiew (showing stress or strain) · nl gespannen (showing stress or strain) · ja 緊張した (showing stress or strain)
Borrowed from Latin tēnsus, one form of the past participle of tendō (“stretch”).
Meanings
(transitive) To make tense.
(intransitive) To become tense.
The driver and the man shouted angrily at each other and I tensed, ready for violence. But soon everyone in the tap-tap joined in, capping remarks, joking, telling chicken and goat stories. 1983 December 24, Andrea Loewenstein, “"What's Freedom Without Food In Your Stomach?" — A Trip to Haiti”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 23, page 8: