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stress

n. · v.
US //ˈstɹɛs// UK //stɹˈɛs// stress
  1. 1 emotional pressure (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a feeling of being very worried or nervous because of problems in your life.

    a state of mental or emotional strain resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.

    Example

    He is under a lot of stress at work because of the new project.

    Example

    Chronic stress can lead to significant long-term health complications if the individual does not find effective coping mechanisms for their demanding workload.
  2. 2 physical force (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Science

    physical force or pressure put on an object.

    the internal distribution of force per unit area within a body, often leading to strain or deformation.

    Example

    The bridge collapsed because the heavy trucks put too much stress on the metal.

    Example

    Engineers must calculate the maximum stress the support beams can endure before the structural integrity of the skyscraper is compromised.
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  1. 3 importance or emphasis (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Academic

    special importance or attention given to something.

    the emphasis or weight placed on a particular point, argument, or aspect of a discussion.

    Example

    The school puts a lot of stress on learning through play.

    Example

    The report places particular stress on the need for immediate investment in renewable energy infrastructure to meet climate targets.
  2. 4 word emphasis (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the extra force you use when saying a particular syllable or word.

    the relative prominence of a syllable or word in speech, typically achieved through loudness, pitch, or duration.

    Example

    In the word 'banana', the stress is on the second syllable.

    Example

    Learners often struggle with lexical stress patterns in English, where shifting the emphasis from the first to the second syllable can transform a noun into a verb.

    Usage

    In English, changing the stress can sometimes change the meaning of a word.
  3. 5 to emphasize (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to give special importance to something when you are talking or writing.

    to emphasize a particular fact, idea, or detail to ensure it is understood as important.

    Example

    I must stress that this information is strictly private.

    Example

    The CEO chose to stress the importance of ethical conduct during her annual address to the shareholders.
  4. 6 to worry (v.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    to feel very worried or to make someone else feel worried.

    to experience or cause someone to experience mental or emotional strain.

    Example

    Don't stress about the exam; you have studied very hard.

    Example

    She tended to stress over minor administrative details, which often distracted her from the more significant strategic goals of the department.

    Usage

    Often used as 'stress out' or as an intransitive verb meaning to worry.
Origin

From a shortening of Middle English destresse, borrowed from Old French destrecier, from Latin distringō (“to stretch out”). This form probably coalesced with Middle English stresse, from Old French estrece (“narrowness”), from Vulgar Latin *strictia, from Latin strictus (“narrow”). In the sense of "mental strain" or “disruption”, used occasionally in the 1920s and 1930s by psychologists, including Walter Cannon (1934); in “biological threat”, used by endocrinologist Hans Selye, by metaphor with stress in physics (force on an object) in the 1930s, and popularized by same in the 1950s.

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