tensing

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.

After a difficult doctor’s appointment with her mother recently, Thompson says she felt her whole body tensing up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025

"Sometimes, I catch myself tensing up," Justin said.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2023

“I’m tensing up. There’s a lot of stuff I can do to protect myself.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2023

She sits in strained, watchful silence, the film registering every constriction of her throat and every tensing of her muscles as she listens to Laurence’s testimony.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2023

For a second, she wasn’t sure why she was tensing up.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older