tense in WordNet English dictionary

1. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
   "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
   tense  strain  tense up 
   
2. become stretched or tense or taut
   "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
   strain  tense 
   
3. become tense, nervous, or uneasy
   "He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room"
   tense  tense up 
   
4. increase the tension on
   "alternately relax and tense your calf muscle"; "tense the rope manually before tensing the spring"
   tense 
   

1. a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
   tense 
   

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