Quick definitions from WordNet (tense)
▸ noun: a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
▸ verb: make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;
▸ verb: become tense or tenser ("He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room")
▸ verb: increase the tension on ("Tense a rope")
▸ verb: stretch or force to the limit
▸ adjective: taut or rigid; stretched tight ("Tense piano strings")
▸ adjective: pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
▸ adjective: in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
▸ Also see tense
▸ noun: a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
▸ verb: make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious;
▸ verb: become tense or tenser ("He tensed up when he saw his opponent enter the room")
▸ verb: increase the tension on ("Tense a rope")
▸ verb: stretch or force to the limit
▸ adjective: taut or rigid; stretched tight ("Tense piano strings")
▸ adjective: pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
▸ adjective: in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
▸ Also see tense