English · Word Candidate

tense

/tɛns/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: tenses · tensing · tensed · tenser

Sense 1

Meaning · English

The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.

Noun

Dyirbal verbs are not inflected for tense.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense.

Noun

English only has a past tense and a non-past tense; it has no future tense.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

To apply a tense to.

Verb

tensing a verb

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Meaning · English

Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed.

Adjective

You need to relax, all this overtime and stress is making you tense.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

What does “tense” mean?

The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.

Is “tense” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.