1
general::
tension
adjectives
unbearable
• The tension was almost unbearable by the time we reached the decisive last round.
nervous tension
• The night before the wedding my mother was in a state of nervous tension.
high tension
• There was a moment of high tension as the firemen entered the burning building.
dramatic tension
(= the tension you feel when you are not sure quite what will happen in a story )
• This uncertainty adds to the film’s dramatic tension.
reduce/ease/relieve tension
• Breathing deeply helps to clear my mind and reduce tension.
sense the tension
• She could sense the tension in the room.
a state of tension
• Marjorie lived in a constant state of tension waiting for his phone calls.
an atmosphere of tension
• Voting took place in an atmosphere of tension.
tension 2
adjectives
racial tension
• Racial tension boiled over and riots quickly spread.
social tension
• The economic crisis was accompanied by mounting social tension.
political tension
• The heightened political tension could easily spill over into violence.
tension is/remains high
• After the election, political tension remains high.
increasing/growing/mounting/rising tension
• There are reports of increasing tension in some areas.
heightened tension
(= greater than before )
• a time of heightened tension between the two countries
verbs
defuse tension
(= make a situation more friendly )
• He searched for ways of defusing racial tension.
raise/increase the tension
• The arrests only served to raise the tension.
phrases
a source of tension
• This agreement should remove a major source of tension among America’s allies.
transnet.ir
2
general::
noun inability to relax ADJ. inner | emotional, muscle/muscular, nervous, pre-menstrual, sexual He suffers from nervous tension. VERB + TENSION feel, suffer from I feel some tension in my shoulders. | sense As soon as he entered, he sensed a tension in the air. | cause, create | relieve | release TENSION + NOUN headache PREP. ~ in The hot bath eased the tension in his body. PHRASES a release of tension Laughter can be a great release of tension. | a sign of tension Horses are very sensitive to signs of tension in humans. bad feeling between people, countries, etc. ADJ. considerable, great, high More police have been sent to areas of high political tension. | slight | growing, heightened, increased, increasing, mounting | constant | unresolved | renewed | ethnic, political, racial, religious, social | communal, family, internal, international, national, regional VERB + TENSION cause, create, generate | defuse, ease, reduce She often used humour to defuse tension in meetings. | heighten TENSION + VERB build up, grow, increase, mount, rise | ease | be palpable PREP. ~ among The tension among the audience was palpable. | ~ between tension between local youths and the police | ~ in/within The redundancies caused greater tensions within the company. | ~ over There has been increased tension over the border incident. | ~ with renewed tension with France PHRASES a source of tension Money was always a source of tension between her parents. of rope, wire, etc. ADJ. string VERB + TENSION adjust This old racket needs its string tension adjusted. | release PREP. in ~ The metal is weak in tension. | under ~ Stay clear of cables which are under tension. | ~ on The sudden tension on the line told me I had hooked a fish.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary