sense

1 of 2

noun

ˈsen(t)s 

1

: a meaning conveyed or intended : import, signification

especially : one of a set of meanings a word or phrase may bear especially as segregated in a dictionary entry

2

a

: the faculty of perceiving by means of sense organs

b

: a specialized function or mechanism (such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch) by which an animal receives and responds to external or internal stimuli

c

: the sensory mechanisms constituting a unit distinct from other functions (such as movement or thought)

3

: conscious awareness or rationality

—usually used in plural

finally came to his senses

4

a

: a particular sensation or kind or quality of sensation

a good sense of balance

b

: a definite but often vague awareness or impression

felt a sense of insecurity

a sense of danger

c

: a motivating awareness

a sense of shame

d

: a discerning awareness and appreciation

her sense of humor

5

: consensus

the sense of the meeting

6

a

: capacity for effective application of the powers of the mind as a basis for action or response : intelligence

b

: sound mental capacity and understanding typically marked by shrewdness and practicality

also : agreement with or satisfaction of such power

this decision makes sense

7

: one of two opposite directions especially of motion (as of a point, line, or surface)

sense

2 of 2

verb

sensed; sensing

transitive verb

1

a

: to perceive by the senses (see sense entry 1 sense 2)

b

: to be or become conscious of

sense danger

2

: grasp, comprehend

3

: to detect automatically especially in response to a physical stimulus (such as light or movement)

Synonyms

Noun

• feel
• feeling
• sensation

Verb

• feel
• perceive
• scent
• see
• smell
• taste

Choose the Right Synonym for sense

sense, common sense, judgment, wisdom mean ability to reach intelligent conclusions.

sense implies a reliable ability to judge and decide with soundness, prudence, and intelligence.

a choice showing good sense

common sense suggests an average degree of such ability without sophistication or special knowledge.

common sense tells me it's wrong

judgment implies sense tempered and refined by experience, training, and maturity.

they relied on her judgment for guidance

wisdom implies sense and judgment far above average.

a leader of rare wisdom

Example Sentences

Noun

There is an unnerving sense now that technology is driving the culture rather than the reverse. Machines and sites and software are breeding at an exponential clip, and we hapless humans race around trying to adapt. —Steven Johnson, Discover, July 2006

The caricature of neurotic nuns who specialized in corporal punishment and guilt crumbles before the countless examples of women religious who made the difference in determining that a child would eat, or be safe, or have any sense of dignity at all. —Luke Timothy Johnson, Commonweal, 22 Sept. 2006

Because Updike shrinks from giving any real credence to the ideology that drives his plot (in both senses of that word), the book becomes a temporarily enthralling, but ultimately empty shaggy dog story. —Jonathan Raban, New York Review of Books, 13 July 2006

Less distinguished people experience a similar tangling of the senses, some reporting that they can taste the words they speak or see the colors of certain words or numbers. This confounding of perception—called synesthesia—was thought to affect at most about 4 percent of the population, but University College London psychologist Jamie Ward has uncovered the best evidence yet that we may all have a bit of synesthesia. —Kathryn Garfield, Discover, December 2006

All of my senses were on the alert for danger.

We had a sense that something wasn't quite right.

His senses were clear despite his illness.

Verb

The latest feature on air conditioners is a big new plug to help prevent fires. The plug shuts down power when it senses that the air conditioner cord is damaged. —Consumer Reports, July 2005

With very little provocation, magic might have been flying back and forth in an unpleasant and damaging manner. Sensing the danger, Kate stepped between them and raised her hands. "Let us have no more of this. There is a confusion to be cleared up, and I cannot do that in the middle of a brannigan," she said. —John Morressy, Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2004

In Pecnik, he had instantly sensed a kindred spirit. As a boy Pecnik had strapped homemade parachutes to hamsters and tossed them (without harm) from his sixth-story bedroom window; by the time he joined the Croatian national team he was making his own jumpsuits. —William Speed Weed, Popular Science, July 2003

She immediately sensed my dislike.

A motion detector can sense movement.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

She was told how taking part in drama classes at the Actors' Church has helped the women with their healing, giving them a sense of community and belonging. —Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 17 May 2023

Gabriela Hearst has always gravitated toward designs with a sense of purpose. —Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 May 2023

The difficulty, the risks involved, the discomfort of being cooped up in the ball with Barton—all that sharpened his sense of contingency and interconnectedness. —Brad Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2023

But today, Sanctuary is unveiling something that indicates a substantial amount of progress toward this goal: Phoenix, a new bipedal humanoid robot designed to do manual (in the sense of hand-dependent) labor. —IEEE Spectrum, 16 May 2023

One factor leading some senators to favor an expeditious approach to legislation is a sense that Congress failed to take action early enough in response to the spread of social media years ago. —Christopher Hutton, Washington Examiner, 16 May 2023

For a sense of how enormous that is, consider this. —Nina Burleigh, The New Republic, 16 May 2023

For a sense of whether election-denying candidates still hold sway within the GOP, keep an eye on the secretary of state race in Kentucky, where Republican incumbent Michael Adams is facing two primary challengers who have campaigned on voter fraud claims. —Ben Kamisar, NBC News, 16 May 2023

Lyrically, the song’s subject is mired in self-recrimination and despair, pleading with a lover to leave in order to find their own freedom, engendering a sense of angst and selflessness. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 15 May 2023

Verb

There are people — this critic included — who will watch this scene and immediately sense with a hungry tingle that the film to come has been made expressly for their palate, and there is everyone else. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 24 May 2023

If you get called away, the base automatically shuts off if no movement is sensed after 10 minutes, so there’s no fear of inadvertently leaving it on. —Good Housekeeping, 6 May 2023

All the while, Bradford has sensed the importance for contemporary audiences of attaching stories to his work. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 5 May 2023

Zutshi says magnetic resonance is harmless, but the charger senses when any living animal gets within 1.25 inches of the pad. —Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 4 May 2023

The failure in the crisis that people sense is that the institutions were not fully operational and didn't know what to do. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2023

For instance, the genomes of these specimens showed an advanced ability to metabolize and store fats and to sense temperatures, which only increased over time. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Apr. 2023

Teva is clever enough to sense that all of these problems are connected, but nobody else in the Republic is getting it at all. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2023

The second type is parents who sense that something is wrong with their child but don’t know what to do or who to turn to for help. —Jillian Peterson, CNN, 28 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French sen, sens sensation, feeling, mechanism of perception, meaning, from Latin sensus, from sentire to perceive, feel; perhaps akin to Old High German sinnan to go, strive, Old English sith journey — more at send

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing sense

• in a/one sense
• knock some sense into someone
• common sense
• make (any) sense of
• knock some sense into someone's head
• make sense
• make no sense
• see sense
• sense of rhythm
• talk (some) sense into/to
• talk sense
• in no sense
• in the strict/strictest sense (of the word)
• sense of humor
• sense organ
• sense of direction
• sixth sense
• sense-datum
• sense of obligation
• sense of achievement
• makes little/no sense
• horse sense
• sense of self-worth
• sense of self
• false sense of security
• sense/feeling of loss
• not making much sense
• in every sense of the word

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• in a/one sense
• knock some sense into someone
• common sense
• make (any) sense of
• knock some sense into someone's head
• make sense
• make no sense
• see sense
• sense of rhythm
• talk (some) sense into/to
• talk sense
• in no sense
• in the strict/strictest sense (of the word)
• sense of humor
• sense organ
• sense of direction
• sixth sense
• sense-datum
• sense of obligation
• sense of achievement
• makes little/no sense
• horse sense
• sense of self-worth
• sense of self
• false sense of security
• sense/feeling of loss
• not making much sense
• in every sense of the word

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Kids Definition

sense

1 of 2 noun

ˈsen(t)s 

1

: a meaning or one of a set of meanings a word, phrase, or story may have

2

a

: the power to become aware of by means of sense organs

b

: a specialized function or mechanism (as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch) of the body that involves the action and effect of a stimulus on a sense organ

the pain sense

3

a

: a particular sensation or kind of sensation

a good sense of balance

b

: awareness arrived at through or as if through the senses

a vague sense of danger

c

: an awareness and appreciation of something

a fine sense of humor

4

a

: intelligence sense 1

b

: good reason or excuse

no sense in waiting

sense

2 of 2 verb

sensed; sensing

1

: to become aware of through the senses

2

: to be or become conscious of

sense danger

3

: to detect automatically especially in response to a physical quantity (as light or movement)

Medical Definition

sense

1 of 2 noun

ˈsen(t)s 

1

a

: the faculty of perceiving by means of sense organs

b

: a specialized function or mechanism (as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch) by which an animal receives and responds to external or internal stimuli

c

: the sensory mechanisms constituting a unit distinct from other functions (as movement or thought)

2

: a particular sensation or kind or quality of sensation

a good sense of balance

sense

2 of 2 transitive verb

sensed; sensing

: to perceive by the senses