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Meaning of sense in English
Pronunciation
/sɛns/
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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.
detect some circumstance or entity automatically
Examples
« This robot can sense the presence of people in the room »
« particle detectors sense ionization »
3.
become aware of not through the senses but instinctively
Examples
« I sense his hostility »
4.
comprehend
Examples
« I sensed the real meaning of his letter »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
5.
a natural appreciation or ability
Examples
« a keen musical sense »
« a good sense of timing »