as in pressure
the burden on one's emotional or mental well-being created by demands on one's time
under a lot of tension right now about her decision not to go to college
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Recent Examples of tension
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 May 2026
And of course this caused this tension because the gun industry did not like this attention.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022
The roof bars tension the whole tent nicely, pulling against the stakes, so there’s no slack in the walls and no sag in the roof.
—Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 26 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for tension
Noun
That goes for the tension, the action, the characters, all of it.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 May 2026
And of course this caused this tension because the gun industry did not like this attention.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Verb
In a lengthy chat with host Stephen Colbert, the director and actress spoke about everything from firing Shia LaBeouf to tension with star Florence Pugh to whether Harry Styles actually spit on Chris Pine.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2022
The roof bars tension the whole tent nicely, pulling against the stakes, so there’s no slack in the walls and no sag in the roof.
—Bill Gifford, Outside Online, 26 July 2022
See All Example Sentences for tension
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tension
Noun
-
Small-town social pressure could be a useful tool, too.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Zelenskyy vowed to keep pressure on Moscow to make concessions in talks.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead, he was intrigued by a scene in which Back visibly tensed up after the producers told him he was suspected of being Satoshi.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The slope down to the sidewalk was barely an inch high, but everyone tensed.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Experts say carrying unresolved trauma and stress over time can affect both mental and physical health.—
Nicky Zizaza,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
-
Under oxidative stress, harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) directly damage cellular DNA, causing cells to age prematurely.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Dwindling enrollment tightened the budget by $89 million halfway through this school year when the purse was already $100 million thinner than last school year.—
Natalie La Roche Pietri,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2026
-
The best accommodations don’t last on the market for long, and by the time peak summer rolls around, availability tightens fast.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Lindor, who suffered a calf strain last month, currently isn’t expected to have more imaging done on his left calf.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Siena Heights, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919, is the latest in a wave of smaller private and faith-based colleges to close in Michigan amid declining enrollment and financial strain.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tension. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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