What does "sense" mean?
Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
Sense
/sɛns/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
- Grammar: sense is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: sensory faculty, absorb, acceptation, admissibility.
- Useful contrasts: absurdity, amphigory, antisense.
- Usage evidence: Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
How to use "sense"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sense" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sense" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sense" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sense" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sense" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sensory faculty" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sense", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste. countable, uncountable
"Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep."
- 2 sound practical judgment wordnet
- 3 Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness. countable, uncountable
"a sense of security"
- 4 the faculty through which the external world is apprehended wordnet
- 5 Sound practical or moral judgment. countable, uncountable
"It’s common sense not to put metal objects in a microwave oven."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a general conscious awareness wordnet
- 7 The meaning, reason, or value of something. countable, uncountable
"You don’t make any sense."
- 8 a natural appreciation or ability wordnet
- 9 The meaning, reason, or value of something.; A meaning of a term (word or expression), among its various meanings. countable, uncountable
"the various senses of the word “car” (e.g., motor car, elevator car, railcar)"
- 10 the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted wordnet
- 11 The meaning, reason, or value of something.; A single conventional use of a word; one of the entries or definitions for a word in a dictionary. countable, uncountable
- 12 A natural appreciation or ability. countable, uncountable
"A keen musical sense"
- 13 The way that a referent is presented. countable, uncountable
- 14 One of two opposite directions in which a vector (especially of motion) may point. See also polarity. countable, uncountable
- 15 One of two opposite directions of rotation, clockwise versus anti-clockwise. countable, uncountable
- 16 referring to the strand of a nucleic acid that directly specifies the product. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
- 2 discern wordnet
- 3 To instinctively be aware.
"She immediately sensed her disdain."
- 4 become aware of not through the senses but instinctively wordnet
- 5 To comprehend.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles wordnet
- 7 detect some circumstance or entity automatically wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sense"?
Common synonyms include: sensory faculty, absorb, acceptation, admissibility, affect, affection.
How do you use "sense" in a sentence?
Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.
How do you pronounce "sense"?
Pronounced /sɛns/.
Etymology
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). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).