Meaning of sense in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /sɛns/

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    UK accent

  1. Verb

    sense

    Definitions

    1. perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles

    Examples

    • « He felt the wind »
    • « She felt an object brushing her arm »
    • « He felt his flesh crawl »
    • « She felt the heat when she got out of the car »
  2. 2. detect some circumstance or entity automatically

    Examples

    • « This robot can sense the presence of people in the room »
    • « particle detectors sense ionization »
  3. 3. become aware of not through the senses but instinctively

    Examples

    • « I sense his hostility »
  4. 4. comprehend

    Examples

    • « I sensed the real meaning of his letter »

  5. Noun

    sense

    Etymology

    late Middle English (as a noun in the sense ‘meaning’): from Latin sensus‘faculty of feeling, thought, meaning’, from sentire‘feel’. The verb dates from the mid 16th century

    Definitions

    1. a general conscious awareness

    Examples

    • « a sense of security »
    • « a sense of happiness »
    • « a sense of danger »
    • « a sense of self »
  6. 2. the meaning of a word or expression

    Examples

    • « the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted »
    • « the dictionary gave several senses for the word »
    • « in the best sense charity is really a duty »
    • « the signifier is linked to the signified »
  7. 3. the faculty through which the external world is apprehended

    Examples

    • « in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing »
  8. 4. sound practical judgment

    Examples

    • « I can't see the sense in doing it now »
    • « he hasn't got the sense God gave little green apples »
    • « fortunately she had the good sense to run away »
  9. 5. a natural appreciation or ability

    Examples

    • « a keen musical sense »
    • « a good sense of timing »