English Dictionary
Definition of “stress”
stress (strɛs
)
Definitions
noun
- special emphasis or significance attached to something
- mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension
- emphasis placed upon a syllable by pronouncing it more loudly than those that surround it
- such emphasis as part of a regular rhythmic beat in music or poetry
- a syllable so emphasized
- physics
- force or a system of forces producing deformation or strain
- the force acting per unit area
verb
- (tr) to give emphasis or prominence to
- (tr) to pronounce (a word or syllable) more loudly than those that surround it
- (tr) to subject to stress or strain
- informal (intr) to become stressed or anxious
Alternative Forms
ˈstressful adjective ˈstressfully adverb ˈstressfulness noun Word Origin
C14: stresse, shortened from distress
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
emphasize,
highlight,
underline,
repeat,
draw attention to
dwell on,
underscore,
accentuate,
point up,
rub in,
flag up,
impress on someone
harp on,
press home bring to the fore
belabour,
=
place the emphasis on
emphasize,
give emphasis to place the accent on lay emphasis upon
-stress
Definitions
suffix forming nouns
- indicating a woman who performs or is engaged in a certain activity ⇒
songstress
seamstress
Compare -ster (sense 1)
Word Origin
from -st(e)r + -ess
Quotations
"I don't have ulcers, I give them"
Harry Cohn
Translations
- British English:
stress
If you lay stress on a point, you emphasize it because you think it is important.The company is laying ever more stress on export sales.strɛs NOUN The company is laying ever more stress on export sales.
- Spanish:
estrés
nm
- French:
accent
nm
- German:
Stress
nm
- Chinese: 压力 n
- Arabic: تَأْكِيد n
- Portuguese: stresse nm
- Russian: ударение nnt
- Croatian: stres nm
- Czech: stres nm
- Danish: vægt nutr
- Dutch: stress nm
- Finnish: stressi n
- Greek: ένταση nf
- Italian: tensione nf
- Japanese: ストレス n
- Korean: 스트레스 n
- Norwegian: belastning nm
- Polish: stres nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: ênfase nf
- European Spanish:
estrés
nm
- Swedish: stress nutr
- Thai: ความเครียด n
- Turkish: stres n
- Vietnamese: sự căng thẳng n
- British English:
stress
If you stress a point in a discussion, you put extra emphasis on it because you think it is important.The spokesman stressed that the measures did not amount to an overall ban.strɛs VERB The spokesman stressed that the measures did not amount to an overall ban.
- Spanish: hacer hincapié v
- French:
insister sur
vi
- German:
betonen
v
- Chinese: 着重 v
- Arabic: يُؤَكِدُ v
- Portuguese: stressar v
- Russian: подчеркивать v
- Croatian: nervirati se v
- Czech: zdůraznit v zdůrazňovat
- Danish: betone v
- Dutch: beklemtonen v
- Finnish: painottaa v
- Greek: τονίζω v
- Italian: accentuare v
- Japanese: 強調する v
- Korean: 강조하다 v
- Norwegian: belaste v
- Polish: zaakcentować v akcentować
- Brazilian Portuguese: salientar vt
- European Spanish: hacer hincapié v
- Swedish: stressa v
- Thai: เครียด v
- Turkish: vurgulamak v
- Vietnamese: nhấn mạnh v
Usage examples
To Thorne, quick to note signs of stress , she looked nervous.
Penn, John, Unto The Grave (1986)People suffering psychological stress are more likely to smoke, greatly increasing their risk of cancer.
New Scientist (2003)The Labour leader likes to stress that he is not interested in power simply for the sake of it.
Irish Times (2002)Nevertheless, the serious nature of a stress at work claim must not be underestimated.
Glasgow Herald (2001)They are teaching relaxation methods which lower blood pressure and the levels of stress chemicals in the system.
Marian Green, A WITCH ALONE (2002)
