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TENSION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The action of stretching something tight
Example:
tension holds the belt in the pulleys
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
stretching (act of expanding by lengthening or widening)
Derivation:
tense (increase the tension on)
tense (become stretched or tense or taut)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body
Example:
the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
stress ((physics) force that produces strain on a physical body)
Domain category:
natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Derivation:
tense (increase the tension on)
tense (become stretched or tense or taut)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Feelings of hostility that are not manifest
Example:
the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
antagonism; enmity; hostility (a state of deep-seated ill-will)
Derivation:
tensional (of or relating to or produced by tension)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature)
Example:
there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
balance (a state of equilibrium)
Domain category:
art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)
literature (creative writing of recognized artistic value)
Sense 5
Meaning:
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
Example:
stress is a vasoconstrictor
Synonyms:
stress; tenseness; tension
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
mental strain; nervous strain; strain ((psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress)
Domain category:
psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tension"):
yips (nervous tension that causes an athlete to fail (especially causes golfers to miss short putts))
breaking point ((psychology) stress at which a person breaks down or a situation becomes crucial)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The physical condition of being stretched or strained
Example:
he could feel the tenseness of her body
Synonyms:
tautness; tenseness; tension; tensity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("tension" is a kind of...):
condition; status (a state at a particular time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "tension"):
tone; tonicity; tonus (the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli)
Derivation:
tense (cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious)
tense (become tense, nervous, or uneasy)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb tension
Context examples:
Barbiturates may be used to treat insomnia, seizures, and convulsions, and to relieve anxiety and tension before surgery.
(Barbiturate, NCI Dictionary)
The anticonvulsant activity of acetazolamide may contribute to inhibition of carbonic anhydrase in the CNS, which decreases carbon dioxide tension in the pulmonary alveoli, thus increasing arterial oxygen tension.
(Acetazolamide Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)
Acetazolamide also produces respiratory stimulant effects in response to changes to both carbon dioxide and oxygen tension levels within the lungs.
(Acetazolamide, NCI Thesaurus)
Apprehension of danger and dread accompanied by restlessness, tension, tachycardia, and dyspnea unattached to a clearly identifiable stimulus.
(Anxiety, NCI Thesaurus)
Excedrin is used for the relief and treatment of migraine and tension headaches.
(Excedrin, NCI Thesaurus)
Although the muscle spindle helps to maintain proper muscle tension, unlike the Golgi tendon organ, it is not an indicator of muscle tension, but rather of muscle length.
(Muscle Spindle, NCI Thesaurus)
Muscle strain or tension often causes neck pain.
(Neck Injuries and Disorders, NIH)
Then again a few seconds of silent tension, when Wilson led viciously at the head, but Harrison took it on his forearm, smiling and nodding at his opponent.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
A method of learning to voluntarily control certain body functions such as heartbeat, blood pressure, and muscle tension with the help of a special machine.
(Biofeedback, NCI Dictionary)
Fioricet is used for the relief and treatment of migraine and tension headaches.
(Fioricet, NCI Thesaurus)
