1. (n.) Distress.

2. (n.) Pressure, strain; -- used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance.

3. (n.) The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress.

4. (n.) Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See Guide to pronunciation, // 31-35.

5. (n.) Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.

6. (v. t.) To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties.

7. (v. t.) To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.

Alexandrine accent accentuate accentuation ache aching adverse circumstances adversity affliction aggravation ambivalence ambivalence of impulse amphibrach amphimacer anacrusis anapest anguish annoyance antispast anxiety arsis assault bacchius bear bear upon bearing beat belabor blight blow boost buck bull bulldoze bummer bump bump against bunt burden butt butt against cadence caesura care catalexis chloriamb chloriambus clutch colon compulsion concern concernment conflict consequence consequentiality consideration constraint counterpoint cram cramp cretic crisis cross crowd crunch curse cut dactyl dactylic hexameter decompensation diaeresis difficulties difficulty dig dimeter dipody distress disturb dochmiac dolor downer drive dwell on elbow elegiac elegiac couplet elegiac pentameter emergency emotional shock emphasis emphasize epitrite excellence exigency external frustration feature feminine caesura focus on foot force forcefulness frustration give emphasis to goad grief harass hard knocks hard life hard lot hardcase hardship harp on haul head heave heptameter heptapody heroic couplet hexameter hexapody high order high pressure high rank highlight hurt hurtle hustle iamb iambic iambic pentameter ictus imperativeness import importance impulse impulsion injury insistence interest ionic irk irritation italicize jab jam jingle jog joggle jolt jostle lesion level of stress lilt mark masculine caesura materiality measure mental shock mental strain merit meter metrical accent metrical foot metrical group metrical unit metrics metron molossus moment mora movement nasty blow nervous strain nervous tension note nudge numbers overaccentuate overemphasize overexert overexertion overextend overextension overstrain overstress overtax overtaxing paeon pain pang paramountcy passion pentameter pentapody period pile drive pinch place emphasis on play up plight point up poke precedence predicament preeminence press pressure primacy primary stress priority proceleusmatic prod prominence prosodics prosody psychological stress pull punch punctuate push pyrrhic quantity rack ram ram down rash impulse rattle rhythm rhythmic pattern rhythmical stress rigor rub in run run against sea of troubles secondary stress self-importance shake shock shoulder shove significance sore sore spot spasm spondee spotlight sprung rhythm star strain strain every nerve straining stress accent stress and strain