sense
Americannoun
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senses
plural
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any of the faculties, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, by which humans and animals perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body.
Helen Keller once wrote that hearing was the sense she most wished she could have had.
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Usually senses the faculties by which humans and animals perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body collectively.
His senses were screaming that danger was nearby.
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the operation or function of the organs of touch, taste, etc.; sensation.
The bloodhound’s sense of smell is greatly enhanced by its long, droopy ears, which scoop up the scents from the ground.
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a feeling or perception produced through the organs of touch, taste, etc., or resulting from a particular condition of some part of the body.
She had an uncomfortable sense of cold on the back of her neck.
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a faculty or function of the mind analogous to sensation.
His moral sense rebelled against such an unethical scheme.
- Synonyms:
- apprehension, awareness
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any special capacity for perception, estimation, appreciation, etc..
In this job you've got to have a sense of humor.
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Usually senses clear and sound mental faculties; sanity.
Have you taken leave of your senses?
- Synonyms:
- rationality
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a more or less vague perception or impression.
Sitting with his back to the wall gave him a sense of security.
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a mental discernment, realization, or recognition.
All workers should have a sense of the worth of their labor.
- Synonyms:
- estimation
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the recognition of something as incumbent or fitting.
My sense of duty compels me to accept this mission.
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sound practical intelligence.
He has no sense.
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something that is sensible or reasonable.
Try to talk sense instead of shouting.
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the meaning or gist of something.
You missed the sense of his statement.
- Synonyms:
- interpretation, connotation, denotation, import, signification
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the value or worth of something; merit.
There's no sense in worrying about the past.
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the meaning of a word or phrase in a specific context, especially as isolated in a dictionary or glossary; the semantic element in a word or group of words.
The word "dog" has a literal sense, but it can also be metaphorical.
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an opinion or judgment formed or held, especially by an assemblage or body of persons.
We didn't bother with formal minutes, but we did take notes on the general sense of the meeting.
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Genetics. a DNA sequence that is capable of coding for an amino acid (distinguished from nonsense).
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Mathematics. one of two opposite directions in which a vector may point.
verb (used with object)
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senses,
present (3rd person singular)
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sensed,
past participle, past
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sensing
present participle
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to perceive (something) by the senses; become aware of.
I sense there's a storm on the way.
- Synonyms:
- recognize, appreciate, discern
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to grasp the meaning of; understand.
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(of certain mechanical devices) to detect physical phenomena, as light, temperature, radioactivity, etc., mechanically, electrically, or photoelectrically.
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Computers. to receive or capture (encoded data) electrically, photoelectrically, etc., through an input device.
When you scan the bar code, an optical mark reader senses the data encoded in the position of the bars.
idioms
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make sense, to be reasonable or comprehensible.
His attitude doesn't make sense.
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in a sense, according to one explanation or view; to a certain extent.
In a sense it may have been the only possible solution.
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come to one's senses, to regain one's good judgment or realistic point of view; become reasonable.
noun
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any of the faculties by which the mind receives information about the external world or about the state of the body. In addition to the five traditional faculties of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, the term includes the means by which bodily position, temperature, pain, balance, etc, are perceived
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such faculties collectively; the ability to perceive
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a feeling perceived through one of the senses
a sense of warmth
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a mental perception or awareness
a sense of happiness
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moral discernment; understanding
a sense of right and wrong
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(sometimes plural) sound practical judgment or intelligence
he is a man without any sense
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reason or purpose
what is the sense of going out in the rain?
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substance or gist; meaning
what is the sense of this proverb?
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specific meaning; definition
in what sense are you using the word?
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an opinion or consensus
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maths one of two opposite directions measured on a directed line; the sign as contrasted with the magnitude of a vector
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logic linguistics
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the import of an expression as contrasted with its referent. Thus the morning star and the evening star have the same reference, Venus, but different senses
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the property of an expression by virtue of which its referent is determined
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that which one grasps in understanding an expression
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to be reasonable or understandable
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See leave 2
verb
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to perceive through one or more of the senses
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to apprehend or detect without or in advance of the evidence of the senses
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to understand
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computing
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to test or locate the position of (a part of computer hardware)
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to read (data)
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Synonym Usage
Sense, sensation refer to consciousness of stimulus or of a perception as pleasant or unpleasant. A sense is an awareness or recognition of something; the stimulus may be subjective and the entire process may be mental or intellectual: a sense of failure. A sensation is an impression derived from an objective (external) stimulus through any of the sense organs: a sensation of heat. It is also a general, indefinite physical or emotional feeling: a sensation of weariness. See meaning.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sensesimple
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sensessimple
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have sensedperfect
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has sensedperfect
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am sensingprogressive
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are sensingprogressive
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is sensingprogressive
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have been sensingperfect progressive
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has been sensingperfect progressive
Past
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sensedsimple
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had sensedperfect
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was sensingprogressive
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were sensingprogressive
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had been sensingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sense
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun sens(e), from Middle French sens and Latin sēnsus “sensation, feeling, understanding,” equivalent to sent(īre) “to feel” + -sus, a variant of -tus, suffix of verbal action; verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
When you sense something, you know it intuitively, like when you can tell your mother is angry not by her words but by the tone of her voice. Sense has many shades of meaning, all involving understanding or becoming aware of something. You can use sense to describe something perceived with your senses, like when you sense your dog is near because of the smell. Sense also refers to the unconscious process of figuring something out, like when you sense that someone is cheating at cards. If you have common sense you don't do foolish things. The sense of a word is how it's used.
Vocabulary lists containing sense
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She said she went to the school "trying to make sense of what's going on."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
We’ll also get a better sense of what the future might hold for Ohtani as a two-way player, and for his potential to perform at an elite level on both sides of the ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
It makes sense that Paxton’s side would be antsy.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "Sarah Helm is speaking absolute common sense and should be commended for her bravery."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Nothing that would make this story make any more sense.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
The purpose is to have somebody to call in case the financial representative senses something amiss: unusual withdrawals, missed payments, confusion, forgetfulness or other signs of cognitive decline.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
In all my years of picking apart films to grasp why they appeal to my senses, I’ve watched others’ curiosity decline, especially in the face of someone else’s passion.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Vitamin D is best known for its role in bone health, but growing evidence suggests it may also influence how the body senses and processes pain.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
“My other senses have been enhanced because of my lack of hearing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
But it was like I was moving through a haze, my senses having turned numb.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In the Vanity Fair interview, Mr. Altman seemed to put an odd and repeated emphasis on how much he loves his children, as if he sensed this as a humanizing tool.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
It was such a damaging evening for Pocognoli, a bolt from the blue, you sensed.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
"When I met him, I could see a real author's style in him and I've always sensed in him an obsession with becoming a writer and a thirst for reading," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
I froze and wondered if he sensed my fight-or-flight response.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Wolf had never sensed such a thing before.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The team also plans to investigate whether onboard sensing could help groups of the robots avoid crashing into one another and coordinate their movements while navigating.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
There are no lyrics to bungle or judgments about pitch, just the sensation of instantly getting on the same page with dozens of strangers and sensing the powerful community in that moment.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Talk of “plant sentience,” he argues, confounds sensing with sentience, which is generally taken to be synonymous with consciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
This deceptively simple formulation is premised on an important distinction between sensing and perceiving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Churro hopped around her, as if sensing her nervousness.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
