tenses

noun

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

verb

cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious

become tense, nervous, or uneasy

increase the tension on

become stretched or tense or taut

adjective

taut or rigid

pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')

in or of a state of physical or nervous tension

Roots

tendotens- · Latin · stretch

Synonyms & related words for tenses

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Words related to tenses

Explore words related to tenses — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include hypertense, tensing, overstrung, backshift, tensed, unrelaxed, subjunctive, preteritive. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does tenses come from?

The word tenses breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root tens-, from Latin tendo (“stretch”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.