an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists); "he may accomplish by craft in the long run what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one"
a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.
the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances; "he ignored their teases"; "his ribbing was gentle but persistent"
someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
ruffle (one's hair) by combing towards the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect
harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"
mock or make fun of playfully; "the flirting man teased the young woman"
separate the fibers of; "tease wool"
disentangle and raise the fibers of; "tease wool"
raise the nap of (fabrics)
tear into pieces; "tease tissue for microscopic examinations"
annoy persistently; "The children teased the boy because of his stammer"
to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them; "The advertisement is intended to tease the customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behavior"
being of crucial importance; "a pivotal event"; "Its pivotal location has also exposed it to periodic invasions"- Henry Kissinger; "the polar events of this study"; "a polar principal"
(with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child; "my fate is in your hands"; "too much power in the president's hands"; "your guests are now in my custody"; "the mother was awarded custody of the children"
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"
the activity of managing or exerting control over something; "the control of the mob by the police was admirable"
(physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc; "the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired"; "he had lost control of his sphincters"
a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine; "the speed controller on his turntable was not working properly"; "I turned the controls over to her"
power to direct or determine; "under control"
the economic policy of controlling or limiting or curbing prices or wages etc.; "they wanted to repeal all the legislation that imposed economic controls"
a spiritual agency that is assumed to assist the medium during a seance
a relation of constraint of one entity (thing or person or group) by another; "measures for the control of disease"; "they instituted controls over drinking on campus"
verify by using a duplicate register for comparison; "control an account"
exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"
lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger"
verify or regulate by conducting a parallel experiment or comparing with another standard, of scientific experiments; "Are you controlling for the temperature?"