Definition of '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"
      Synonyms: emphasis accent
2. (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor"
      Synonyms: tension tenseness
3. (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body; "the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area"
4. special emphasis attached to something; "the stress was more on accuracy than on speed"
      Synonyms: focus
5. 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"- R.J.Samuelson
      Synonyms: strain

Verb

1. to stress, single out as important; "Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet"
      Synonyms: emphasize emphasise punctuate accent accentuate
2. put stress on; utter with an accent; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word"
      Synonyms: accent accentuate
3. test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
      Synonyms: try strain

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