(biology) A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism.

(biology) Aggression toward an organism resulting in a response in an attempt to restore previous conditions.

(countable, physics) The internal distribution of force across a small boundary per unit area of that boundary (pressure) within a body. It causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ or τ.

(countable, physics) Force externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.

(uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.

(countable, phonetics, loosely) A suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound, word or word group by means of of loudness, duration or pitch; phonological prominence.

(countable, phonetics, strictly) The suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound by means of of loudness and/or duration; phonological prominence phonetically achieved by means of dynamics as distinct from pitch.

(uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).

Obsolete form of distress.

(Scotland, law) distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.

(transitive) To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.

(transitive) To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).

(intransitive, informal) To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.

(transitive) To emphasise (a syllable of a word).

(transitive) To emphasise (words in speaking).

(transitive) To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.