the ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army); "the strike was supported by the union rank and file"; "he rose from the ranks to become a colonel"
the action of stretching something tight; "tension holds the belt in the pulleys"
(physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic physical body; "the direction of maximum tension moves asymptotically toward the direction of the shear"
a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or tendencies (especially in art or literature); "there is a tension created between narrative time and movie time"; "there is a tension between these approaches to understanding history"
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor"
the physical condition of being stretched or strained; "it places great tension on the leg muscles"; "he could feel the tenseness of her body"
showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment; "seemly and forbearing...yet strong enough to resist aggression"; "was longanimous in the face of suffering"
provided or supplied or equipped with (especially as by inheritance or nature); "an well-endowed college"; "endowed with good eyesight"; "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights"