tense

See also: tensé

English

Pronunciation
  • enPR: tĕns, IPA(key): /tɛns/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛns

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French tens (modern French temps), from Latin tempus. Doublet of tempo.

Noun

tense (plural tenses)

  1. (grammar, countable) Any of the forms of a verb which distinguish when an action or state of being occurs or exists.
    The basic tenses in English are present, past, and future.
  2. (linguistics, grammar, countable) An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense.
    English only has a present tense and a past tense; it has no future tense.
  3. (linguistics, uncountable) The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
    Dyirbal verbs are not inflected for tense.
Usage notes
  • Some English-language authorities only consider inflected forms of verbs (i.e. the present and past tenses) as tenses, and not periphrastic forms such as the simple future with will.
Derived terms
  • See: Category:en:Tenses
Translations

Verb

tense (third-person singular simple present tenses, present participle tensing, simple past and past participle tensed)

  1. (grammar, transitive) To apply a tense to.
    tensing a verb

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendō (“stretch”).

Adjective

tense (comparative tenser, superlative tensest)

  1. Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed.
    Synonyms: stressed, unrelaxed
    You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.
  2. Pulled taut, without any slack.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

tense (third-person singular simple present tenses, present participle tensing, simple past and past participle tensed)

  1. To make or become tense.
Translations

Anagrams

Latin

Participle

tense

  1. vocative masculine singular of tensus

Spanish

Verb

tense

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of tensar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of tensar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of tensar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of tensar.
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