tense - noun

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

tense - verb

• become stretched or tense or taut
• increase the tension on
• become tense, nervous, or uneasy
• cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

tense - adjective

• in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
• pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
• taut or rigid; stretched tight

tense - thesaurus

strain