Definition of stress

• the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); "he put the stress on the wrong syllable"
• (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor"
• (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body; "the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area"