tensor

noun

ten·​sor ˈten(t)-sər  ˈten-ˌsȯr 

1

: a muscle that stretches a part

2

: a generalized vector with more than three components each of which is a function of the coordinates of an arbitrary point in space of an appropriate number of dimensions

Examples of tensor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Street expects a beat, driven by higher sales of its tensor processing units (custom chips) sold to Alphabet . —Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025

The combined interactions of light fields naturally produce mathematical operations including tensor multiplications. —New Atlas, 10 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile Broadcom — which is building the tensor processing unit, or TPU, chips Alphabet uses — has seen its stock price leap 68% since the end of last year. —Ryan Vlastelica, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025

The success of Alphabet’s tensor processing unit, or TPU, chips is a primary reason for the stock’s 30% fourth-quarter rally, putting it among the best performers in the S&P 500 Index. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Latin tendere "to extend outward, stretch, draw tight" + -tor, agent suffix — more at tender entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tensor

• censer
• censor
• denser
• fencer
• sensor
• biosensor
• condenser
• dispenser
• extensor

Kids Definition

tensor

noun

ten·​sor ˈten(t)-sər  ˈten-ˌsȯ(ə)r 

: a muscle that stretches a part

Medical Definition

tensor

noun

ten·​sor ˈten(t)-sər  ˈten-ˌsȯ(ə)r 

: a muscle that stretches a part or makes it tense

called also tensor muscle