Tension ˈtenʃn Nervous International/Racial/Political Increased Feeling I Stretched

• there is mounting tension along the border.
• international/racial/political tensions
• family tensions and conflicts may lead to violence.
• the incident has further increased tension between the two countries.

tension

1. a situation in which people do not trust each other, or feel unfriendly towards each other, and which may cause them to attack each other
• There is mounting tension along the border.
• international/racial/political tensions
• Family tensions and conflicts may lead to violence.
• The incident has further increased tension between the two countries.
2. a situation in which the fact that there are different needs or interests causes difficulties
• There is often a tension between the aims of the company and the wishes of the employees.
3. a feeling of anxiety and stress that makes it impossible to relax
• nervous tension
• We laughed and that helped ease the tension.
• Walking and swimming are excellent for releasing tension.
• a tension headache
• She was unable to attend because of the pressures of work.
• stress-related illnesses
• nervous tension
• I found it a strain looking after four children.
4. the feeling of fear and excitement that is created by a writer or a film/movie director
• dramatic tension
• As the movie progresses the tension builds.
5. the state of being stretched tight; the extent to which something is stretched tight
• see also surface tension
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/surface-tension
• muscular tension
• Adjust the string tension of your tennis racket to suit your style of playing.
• When knitting, try to keep the same tension throughout.
• Massage can relieve tension in your shoulders and back.

Extra Examples

• He suffers from nervous tension.
• Horses are very sensitive to signs of tension in humans.
• I feel some tension in my shoulders.
• In the early 1960’s, new tensions arose between the United States and the USSR.
• Laughter can be a great release of tension.
• Money was always a source of tension between her parents.
• More police have been sent to areas of high political tension.
• Racial tensions in the town were running high.
• She often used humour to defuse tension in meetings.
• Stay clear of cables which are under tension.
• Tension builds around the mystery of what will happen to Freddie.
• The hot bath eased the tension in his body.
• The job losses caused greater tensions within the company.
• The metal is weak in tension.
• The movie lacks dramatic tension.
• The sudden tension on the line told me I had hooked a fish.
• The tension among the audience was palpable.
• There has been increased tension over the border incident.
• This old racket needs its string tension adjusted.
• renewed tension with France
• tension between local youths and the police
• the creative tension between democracy and business interests
• the use of editing to heighten the tension
• She was suffering from nervous tension.
• Walking and swimming are excellent for releasing tensions.
• international/racial/political tensions

Word Origin

• mid 16th cent. (as a medical term denoting a condition or feeling of being physically stretched or strained): from French, or from Latin tensio(n-), from tendere ‘stretch’.