1. tight and stiff; not relaxed
2. nervous, anxious, or stressed

1. past tense and past participle of tense; made tight or stiff

Examples

• Her shoulders were tensed from sitting at the computer all day.
• The athlete’s muscles tensed before the race began.
• He looked tensed and worried about the exam results.
• The rope tensed as they pulled it tight.
• She tensed up when she heard the loud noise.
• His jaw was tensed with concentration.
• The cat tensed its body before pouncing on the toy.