ten-shun

interjection

Used to bring a marching band or group of soldiers to attention.

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Meanings

interjection

alternative 'ten-shun

  1. USgovernmentUsed to bring a marching band or group of soldiers to attention.

    Company, 'ten-shun—(More violently.) 'ten-shun, please... (He draws himself up exaggeratedly.) Stand straight, like soldiers!

    1946, Harry Lester Baum, Prelude to Victory: A Masonic Play

Origin

Eye dialect spelling of attention.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ten-shun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-shun

MLA

“ten-shun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-shun. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ten-shun,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-shun.

Source: ten-shun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.