Link Centre Dictionary

sense

UK/sɛns/ US/sɛnts/ very common
noun (5) verb (4)

noun

1.

a general conscious awareness

  • “a sense of security”
  • “a sense of happiness”
  • “a sense of danger”
  • “a sense of self”
2.

the meaning of a word or expression; 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”
Synonyms
3.

the faculty through which the external world is apprehended

  • “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”
Synonyms
4.

sound practical judgment

  • “I can”
  • “;”
  • “t got the sense God gave little green apples”
  • “fortunately she had the good sense to run away”
Synonyms
5.

a natural appreciation or ability

  • “a keen musical sense”
  • “a good sense of timing”

verb

1.

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

  • “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”
Synonyms
2.

detect some circumstance or entity automatically

  • “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

  • “I sense his hostility”
4.

comprehend

  • “I sensed the real meaning of his letter”

Origin

From Middle English sense, from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latin sēnsus (“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitan sen, Italian senno), from Vulgar Latin *sennus (“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish *sinn ("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutch zin, German Sinn, Swedish sinne, Norwegian sinn).

Phrases

  • abound in one's own sense
  • air sense
  • civic sense
  • come to one's senses
  • common sense
  • court sense
  • dress sense
  • enough sense to pound sand into a rathole

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.