1. to make your muscles tight and stiff
使（肌肉）繃緊、僵硬
She tensed her shoulders as she waited for the results.
她在等待結果時，肩膀繃得緊緊的。
The dog tensed its body, ready to spring forward.
那隻狗繃緊身體，準備向前撲。
Tense Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
tense
verb
快速理解
What does "Tense" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Tense"?
「tense」作動詞時，主要指身體或肌肉因壓力或警覺而變得緊繃，也可形容氣氛變得緊張。
- 1
身體緊繃
EN: to make your muscles tight and stiff
翻譯: 使肌肉變得緊繃僵硬
- 2
變得緊張
EN: to become nervous, worried, or unable to relax
翻譯: 變得緊張、擔憂或無法放鬆
- 3
氣氛緊張
EN: to cause a situation or atmosphere to become strained
翻譯: 使局勢或氣氛變得緊張
小提醒：注意「tense up」這個常見片語，它強調「突然或過度地緊繃起來」，例如在壓力下或受傷時。
發音（How to Pronounce "Tense" in English）
How to pronounce "Tense" in English?"Tense" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Tense" from YouTube Videos
Jean-Baptiste Michel: The mathematics of history
TED
“So Erez and I wanted to know more about that. So we paid attention to a particular grammatical rule: past-tense conjugation.”
(1 out of 7)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Tense"?How does "Tense" change by context?
2. to become nervous, worried, or unable to relax
變得緊張、焦慮
He tensed up whenever his boss entered the room.
每當他的老闆走進房間，他就會緊張起來。
Try not to tense before your presentation.
在你上台報告前，試著不要緊張。
3. to make a situation more difficult or anxious
使（局勢、氣氛）變得緊張
The sudden arrival of the police tensed the atmosphere in the room.
警察的突然到來讓房間裡的氣氛變得緊張。
His angry remarks tensed relations between the two departments.
他憤怒的言論使兩個部門間的關係變得緊張。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Tense"?How to make natural sentences with "Tense"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tense up | 變得緊張、繃緊 | His muscles tensed up before the race. (比賽前他的肌肉繃緊了。) |
| tense + noun (body part) | 使（身體部位）繃緊 | She tensed her shoulders, expecting a blow. (她繃緊了肩膀，預期會受到打擊。) |
| tense at + noun/sound | 因…而緊張/繃緊 | The dog tensed at the strange noise. (那隻狗因奇怪的聲響而繃緊身體。) |
| tense for + noun (action) | 為（某動作）做好準備而繃緊 | The runner tensed for the starting signal. (跑者為起跑信號繃緊了神經。) |
| become/get tense | 變得緊張 | The atmosphere in the room became tense. (房間裡的氣氛變得緊張起來。) |
用法說明
How is "Tense" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Tense"?
tense doing vs tense to do
- tense doing 通常描述一個正在進行或習慣性的動作，強調動作本身或過程。
- tense to do 則常指特定、具體或一次性的動作，有時帶有「為了某個目的」的意味。
- 在 would tense 或 would like to tense 這類表達願望或禮貌請求的結構中，後面固定接 to do。
- 在 like, love, hate, prefer 等動詞後，兩者意思差異極小，常可互換，但英式英語可能更常用 doing 形式。 EN: She tensed waiting for the interview results, unable to relax. 翻譯: 她等待面試結果時很緊張，無法放鬆。
EN:He tensed to jump over the fence when he heard the dog bark.
翻譯:聽到狗叫聲，他繃緊身體準備跳過柵欄。
EN:My shoulders tense sitting at the computer all day.
翻譯:整天坐在電腦前，我的肩膀會緊繃。
EN:You need to tense your muscles to lift that heavy box.
翻譯:你需要繃緊肌肉才能抬起那個重箱子。
總結建議
一般來說，描述身體或精神因某種持續狀態而「變得緊繃」多用 tense doing，而為特定動作「準備繃緊」則用 tense to do。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Tense" and similar words?How to choose "Tense" vs alternatives?
tense vs tighten
「tense」通常指身體或肌肉因壓力、焦慮而變得僵硬緊繃，是一種不自覺的狀態；「tighten」則指有意識地使某物變得更緊或更牢固的動作。
tense vs strain
「tense」強調因準備或壓力而產生的整體緊繃；「strain」則強調因過度使用或用力而造成的損傷或極度緊張。
tense vs flex
「tense」是收縮肌肉使其僵硬，通常為靜態；「flex」是彎曲關節或收縮肌肉以展示力量或活動，通常為動態。
口語用法
How is "Tense" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Tense"?
引述
在引述他人話語或描述某個情境時，常用來表示對方或某人「變得緊張」或「氣氛變僵」。 EN: She tensed up when her boss walked into the room. 翻譯: 當她老闆走進房間時，她整個人都繃緊了。
EN:"Don't tense up," he said, trying to calm the nervous dog.
翻譯:「別緊張，」他說道，試圖安撫那隻緊張的狗。
語氣強調
用來強調身體或情緒上「突然繃緊」的瞬間反應，常與副詞連用加強語氣。 EN: I could see his jaw tense the moment I mentioned the deadline. 翻譯: 我一提到截止日期，就能看見他的下巴瞬間繃緊。
EN:Her shoulders tensed visibly when the topic of money came up.
翻譯:當話題轉到錢時，她的肩膀明顯地繃緊了。
停頓填充
在對話中描述自身感受或觀察時，作為一種生動的描繪，常用於「I felt myself tense...」或「You could see him tense...」等句型。 EN: As the car skidded, I just tensed and waited for the impact. 翻譯: 當車子打滑時，我只能繃緊身體等待撞擊。
EN:You could feel the whole audience tense during that scary scene.
翻譯:在那個恐怖場景中，你能感覺到全場觀眾都繃緊了神經。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式商業寫作中，應避免將 "tense" 用作動詞來描述人的情緒反應，因其較為口語化。建議改用更正式的詞彙，如 "became tense", "grew anxious", 或 "stiffened"。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Tense"?What fixed phrases with "Tense" should I remember?
tense up
verb + up
（身體或肌肉）變得緊張、緊繃
tense for
verb + for
為（某事）而緊張、做好準備
tense one's muscles
verb + possessive + muscles
繃緊某人的肌肉
tense at
verb + at
因（某事）而突然緊張
tense with
verb + with
因（某種情緒，如憤怒、恐懼）而身體緊繃
tense with anticipation
verb + with anticipation
因期待而緊張
tense involuntarily
verb + adverb
不自覺地、反射性地緊張
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Tense"?Which "Tense" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I tense my muscles yesterday.
✓I tensed my muscles yesterday.
「tense」作為動詞時，過去式為「tensed」。使用「tense」是原形，不適用於描述過去發生的事件。
×He is tense his shoulders.
✓He is tensing his shoulders.
進行式應使用動詞的現在分詞形式「tensing」，而非原形「tense」。
×The situation tensed.
✓The situation became tense.
「tense」作為動詞通常描述人或身體部位「變得緊張」的動作。描述抽象事物（如局勢、氣氛）變得緊張時，更自然的用法是使用形容詞「tense」搭配「become」或「get」等連綴動詞。
×I need to tense up my body.
✓I need to tense my body.
「tense」作為及物動詞時，可直接接受詞，表示「使…緊張」。加上「up」通常用於不及物動詞片語「tense up」，意為「（自己）緊張起來」。此處「my body」是受詞，應使用及物動詞「tense」。
×Don't tense. Relax.
✓Don't tense up. Relax.
當動詞「tense」意為「（自己）變得緊張」且沒有直接受詞時，通常會使用片語動詞「tense up」。單獨使用「tense」在此語境下較不自然。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Tense"?What are tense/participle forms of "Tense"?
tenses(3rd_singular)tensing(present_participle)tensed(past)tensed(past_participle)