Redeem Upgrade Help

Sign in

 Dictionaries

 Grammar

 Word Lists

 Resources

English

 
                                                                                                                                                                                               

 Enter search text

Definition of stress noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

stress
 noun
 OPAL WOPAL S
 
/stres/
 
/stres/

mental pressure
1.
 

 [uncountable, countable] pressure or worry caused by problems in somebody’s life or by

having too much to do
 o emotional/mental stress
o to suffer from stress
o to relieve/reduce/alleviate stress
o   under stress  Things can easily go wrong when people are under stress.
o The incident has caused enormous stress and anxiety to my family.
o We all sometimes struggle with the stresses and strains of daily life.
o How can we help young people cope with the stress of exams?
o stress-related illnesses
o stress management (= dealing with stress)
o The release of the stress hormone cortisol is part of the human stress response.
o Stress is often a factor in the development of long-term sickness.
o Few of us can understand the stresses of a job where an everyday mistake can
cost lives.

Collocations Diet and exercise

Synonyms pressure

SEE ALSO post-traumatic stress disorder

Extra Examples

TOPICS FeelingsA2

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to
problems in English.

physical pressure
2.
 

 [uncountable, countable] physical pressure put on something that can damage it or make

it lose its shape

o   stress on something When you have an injury you start putting stress on other

parts of your body.
o Little is known about the effects of water stress on plants.
 o The building was condemned because of the damage caused by excessive heat
stress.
o Different organisms react differently to environmental stress (= damage to the
environment caused by human activity or natural events).
o a  stress fracture of the foot (= one caused by such pressure)

Extra Examples

TOPICS Physics and chemistryB2

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

on word/syllable
3.
 

 [uncountable, countable] (phonetics) an extra force used when pronouncing a particular

word or syllable

o We worked on pronunciation, stress and intonation.

o   stress on something There's a stress on the second syllable.
o In ‘strategic’ the stress falls on the second syllable

COMPARE intonation

Wordfinder

SEE ALSO primary stress, secondary stress

Extra Examples

TOPICS LanguageA2

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

emphasis
4. [uncountable] stress (on something) special importance given to something
o She lays great stress on punctuality.
o I think the company places too much stress on cost and not enough on quality.

Extra Examples

Oxford Collocations Dictionary

 in music
5. [uncountable, countable] extra force used when making a particular sound in music

illness
6. [uncountable] illness caused by difficult physical conditions
o Those most vulnerable to heat stress are the elderly.

Word Origin
See stress in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee stress in the Oxford Learner's
Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: stress
Other results
All matches
 stress verb
 de-stress verb
 stress mark noun
 stress-timed adjective
 primary stress noun
 secondary stress noun
 post-traumatic stress disorder noun
 post-traumatic stress disorder
Nearby words
 strep throat noun
 streptococcus noun
 stress noun
 stress verb
 stressed adjective
13 June 2022

festival
noun
 
 

From the word list

 OXFORD 3000

A1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day

  

  

  

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

 Browse Dictionaries & Grammar

 Search Box
 System Requirements
 Contact Us
More from us

 Oxford Learner's Dictionaries API

 English Language Teaching
 Oxford Teacher's Club
 Oxford Learner's Bookshelf
 Oxford Languages
Who we are

 About Us
 Our history
 Annual report
 The way we work
 Working for OUP
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of
excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

 Privacy Policy
 
 Cookie Policy
 
 Cookies Settings
 
 Terms & Conditions
  
 Accessibility
 
 Legal Notice
 
                                                                                                                                                                             
English (UK)

 © 2022 Oxford University Press