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/sɛns/
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Perception through the body, felt awareness, meaning, practical judgment, technical direction, and the act of detecting something subtle or indirect.
Examples
A dictionary entry may list several senses of one word.
He sensed an opportunity in the quiet market.
It takes sense to stop before the risk grows.
The system senses pressure and adjusts the valve.
He had a strong sense that something was wrong.
Similar words
sensation
discernment
meaning
sensibility
perception
impression
awareness
reason
judgment
interpretation
Meanings
Examples
Dogs have a keen sense of smell.
The infection affected his sense of taste.
Her sense of hearing remained unusually sharp.
The blindfold made him rely on his sense of touch.
The five senses are often listed as sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
Balance is sometimes described as another sense.
Cold air brought back his sense of smell.
Similar words
perception
sensation
faculty
sensibility
Examples
A sense of unease spread through the room.
He had a strong sense that something was wrong.
The village gave her a sense of belonging.
She has a dry sense of humor.
His sense of timing made the joke land perfectly.
The team worked with a clear sense of purpose.
A sense of urgency changed the mood of the meeting.
Similar words
awareness
feeling
impression
intuition
perception
instinct
Examples
In this sense, the word means a legal right.
The sentence makes no sense without the missing verb.
A dictionary entry may list several senses of one word.
Her explanation gave the data a clear sense.
The joke loses its sense in translation.
The phrase has a technical sense in philosophy.
It makes sense to read the warning first.
Similar words
meaning
significance
interpretation
import
coherence
point
Examples
Common sense suggests taking an umbrella.
She had the good sense to ask for help.
There is little sense in arguing over the receipt.
His plan showed practical sense.
It takes sense to stop before the risk grows.
The proposal has financial sense for a small company.
A little sense would have prevented the mistake.
Similar words
judgment
wisdom
prudence
reason
discernment
common sense
Examples
The arrow shows the positive sense of rotation.
The two gears turn in opposite senses.
A vector has direction and sense, not only magnitude.
The path is traversed in the clockwise sense.
The notation fixes the sense in which the curve is followed.
The screw tightens when turned in the correct sense.
The experiment reversed the sense of the magnetic field.
Similar words
direction
orientation
course
way
Examples
The dog sensed danger before anyone moved.
The sensor senses motion in the hallway.
She could sense his disappointment.
Plants can sense changes in light.
We sensed that the mood had shifted.
The system senses pressure and adjusts the valve.
He sensed an opportunity in the quiet market.
Etymology
From Old French sens, from Latin sensus, meaning feeling, perception, understanding, or meaning.
FAQ
Sense can mean a bodily faculty, an intuitive feeling, meaning, practical judgment, technical direction, or the act of detecting something.
What are the five senses?
The five traditional senses are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
What does make sense mean?
Make sense means to be understandable, reasonable, or coherent.
What does in this sense mean?
In this sense means in this particular meaning, respect, or way of understanding something.
Is sense the same as since?
No. Sense is about perception, meaning, or judgment. Since is about time or cause.
Yes. To sense something is to detect it, notice it, or become aware of it.
Common sense is practical judgment about what is reasonable or likely to work.
What does sense mean in mathematics or physics?
In technical use, sense can mean one of two possible directions of movement, rotation, order, or orientation.
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