| 释义 |
tense
I. \ˈten(t)s\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English tens, tense time, tense, from Middle French tens, from Latin tempor-, tempus — more at temporal
1. : a distinction of form in a verb to express past, present, or future time or duration of the action or state it denotes
2.
a. : a set of inflectional forms of a verb that express distinctions of time — see past tense, present tense
b. : a particular inflectional form of a verb expressing a specific time distinction
< used the wrong tense of the verb >
3. : the part of the meaning of a verb form that consists of the expression of a time distinction
4. : a verb phrase that includes a tense auxiliary
II. transitive verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
: to provide with a tense
< a tensed statement >
III. adjective
(-er/-est)
Etymology: Latin tensus, from past participle of tendere to stretch — more at thin
1. : stretched tight : made taut : rigid
< the skeletal musculature involuntarily becomes tense — H.G.Armstrong >
2.
a. : feeling or showing nervous tension : under mental or emotional strain : jittery
< tense, taciturn, sensitive, given to worry — A.L.Kroeber >
b. : causing strain : inducing tension
< the riffles get rougher and navigating is a bit tense — Buick Magazine >
< no game is tenser than solemn tournament billiards: cold-blooded concentration and steady nerves are demanded — Time >
c. : charged with tension : marked by strain or suspense
< the air was tense with complaint and constraint — L.C.Douglas >
< the first eleven pages … have a tense and gripping power — A.H.MacCormick >
3. of a speech sound : produced with the muscles involved in a relatively tense state
< the vowels \ē\ and \ü\ in contrast with the vowels \i\ and \u̇\ are tense >
— compare lax
Synonyms: see stiff, tight
IV. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
: to make tense
< held my mouth open to tense my eardrums — Christopher Morley >
intransitive verb
: to become tense
< tensed like a coiled rattler — Jack McLarn >
— often used with up |