tense up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

About ten times each day, giant freight trains pass along a narrow section of track along the Sacramento River in far northern California where engineers on the locomotives regularly tense up with stress.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

"We ignore them during the day, but our souls tense up when they ring at night," said resident Daniela Tanase.

From Reuters • Sep. 5, 2023

And pressuring yourself to do it right can cause you to tense up and make breathing deeply harder.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023

He’s terse, and I can see Ayesha tense up.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed