easy
There was tension in the room before the winner was announced.
What does Tension mean?
stress, strain, or tightness.
Dictionary definition
Tension is stress, strain, tightness, or uneasiness between people, in a situation, or in a stretched object.
Example sentences
Tension in a sentence
medium
The rope had too much tension and snapped.
hard
The writer built tension by delaying the answer to the mystery.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice tension in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
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Practice the meaning of Tension
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does tension mean?
Tension can mean emotional stress, story suspense, or physical tightness.
Practice 2
Which word is closest in meaning to tension?
Strain is close in meaning to tension in this dictionary entry.
Practice 3
Which word is an antonym of tension?
Calm contrasts with tension in this dictionary entry.
Practice complete
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You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
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Tension
Voice settings
Sounds like
ten · shun · strongest beat: ten
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
Learn
WordTension.
Partnoun.
MeaningTension means stress, strain, or tightness.
ExampleExample: There was tension in the room before the winner was announced.
Word breakdown
2 syllables. Say each part, then blend the word.
- Syllables
- ten · shun
- Strongest beat
- ten
- Ending
- shun
- Tip
- Put a little extra energy on ten.
Your turn
Say Tension
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Nice work—you practiced tension.
Synonyms
Words like Tension
Antonyms
Opposite words
Synonym practice
Want to practice tension synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The tension in the rope kept the tent upright," then compare close word choices. Practice tension synonyms.
Word family
Tension word family
Related words
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Student support
Understand Tension
Hint for students
stress, strain, or tightness.
Common mix-up
Tension is not the same as calm. Tension means stress, strain, or tightness.
Try it in class or at home
Read this model sentence: The rope had too much tension and snapped. Clue words: rope, too, much. Underline clue words that show why tension fits instead of calm. Now write one new sentence that shows tension without using the word tension. Ask: Does my sentence clearly show tension?
Teacher prompt
Ask students to explain this model sentence: "The rope had too much tension and snapped." Why does tension fit better than calm?
Learning activities
Practice Tension and explore more word games
Cards labelled “Practice TENSION” keep this word in focus. Explore cards open games with other words.
Practice TENSION
Sentence Builder
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Spell Hive
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Vocabulary Match
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Context Clue Challenge
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Synonym Search
Compare meanings in a question that includes TENSION.
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Scrambled Bees
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