tension Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
    stress; tenseness.
    • he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension
    • stress is a vasoconstrictor
  2. noun the physical condition of being stretched or strained
    tautness; tenseness; tensity.
    • it places great tension on the leg muscles
    • he could feel the tenseness of her body
  3. noun a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature)
    • there is a tension created between narrative time and movie time
    • there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history
  4. noun (physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body
    • the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear
  5. noun feelings of hostility that are not manifest
    latent hostility.
    • he could sense her latent hostility to him
    • the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions
  6. noun the action of stretching something tight
    • tension holds the belt in the pulleys

WordNet


Ten"sion noun
Etymology
L. tensio, from tendere, tensum, to stretch: cf. F. tension. See Tense, a.
Definitions
  1. The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of the larynx.
  2. Fig.: Extreme strain of mind or excitement of feeling; intense effort.
  3. The degree of stretching to which a wire, cord, piece of timber, or the like, is strained by drawing it in the direction of its length; strain. Gwilt.
  4. (Mech.) The force by which a part is pulled when forming part of any system in equilibrium or in motion; as, the tension of a srting supporting a weight equals that weight.
  5. A device for checking the delivery of the thread in a sewing machine, so as to give the stitch the required degree of tightness.
  6. (Physics) Expansive force; the force with which the particles of a body, as a gas, tend to recede from each other and occupy a larger space; elastic force; elasticity; as, the tension of vapor; the tension of air.
  7. (Elec.) The quality in consequence of which an electric charge tends to discharge itself, as into the air by a spark, or to pass from a body of greater to one of less electrical potential. It varies as the quantity of electricity upon a given area.

Webster 1913