stress
noun
1. the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
- he put the stress on the wrong syllable
Similar word(s): accent, emphasis
Definition categories: communication, inflection, prosody
2. (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
- stress is a vasoconstrictor
Similar word(s): tenseness, tension
Definition categories: state, strain
3. special emphasis attached to something
- the stress was more on accuracy than on speed
Similar word(s): focus
Definition categories: state, accent, emphasis
4. difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension
- she endured the stresses and strains of life
- he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger
Similar word(s): strain
Definition categories: state, difficulty
5. (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body
- the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area
Definition categories: phenomenon, force
Sentences with stress as a noun:
- Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
- Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
verb
1. to stress, single out as important
Similar word(s): accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate
Definition categories: communication, evince, express, show
2. put stress on; utter with an accent
Similar word(s): accent, accentuate
Definition categories: communication, articulate, enounce, enunciate, pronounce, say
3. test the limits of
Definition categories: emotion, afflict
Sentences with stress as a verb:
- “Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
- I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.