Meanings
verbtense up (third-person singular simple present tenses up, present participle tensing up, simple past and past participle tensed up)
present singular third person tenses up · participle present tensing up · participle past tensed up · past tensed up
- informalintransitiveTo become tense.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
APA
tense up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tense%20up
MLA
“tense up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tense%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tense up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tense%20up.
Source: tense up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.