1. (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
   "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension";
   - tenseness, stress
    
2. State of being tense or stretched
   "it places great tension on the leg muscles";
   - tensity, tenseness, tautness
    
3. Feelings of hostility that are not manifest
   "the diplomats' first concern was to reduce international tensions";
   - latent hostility
    
4. (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. The action of stretching something tight
   "tension holds the belt in the pulleys"
    
6. (literature) 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"
    
7. Electrical potential or voltage
   "The power lines carry high tension"

1. Put an object in tension; pull or place strain on
   "The engineer tensioned the cable to ensure the bridge's stability"

Derived forms: tensioned, tensioning, tensions

Type of: antagonism, balance, condition, enmity, hostility, mental strain, nervous strain, status, strain, stress, stretching

Encyclopedia: Tension