Sense | Mean of sense in English Dictionary

/ˈsɛns/

• Noun
• one of the five natural powers (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing) through which you receive information about the world around you
1. All of my senses were on the alert for danger.
2. The dog lost his sense of smell.
3. an acute/poor sense of hearing
• a physical feeling
1. a sense of fatigue/hunger
2. Ear problems can sometimes affect a person's sense of balance.
• a particular feeling
1. We had a sense that something wasn't quite right.
2. Once the speech was over, he was filled with a tremendous sense of relief.
3. a sense of loss/urgency/pride
4. a sense of well-being
5. Their sense of accomplishment was obvious.
6. We felt a growing sense of danger.
7. The gun gave him a false sense of security. [=made him feel safer than he really was]
8. She has a strong sense of self. [=she has strong ideas about who she is]

• a personal quality
1. He had a great sense of adventure. [=he liked adventure very much]
2. a sense of order/duty
3. She lacked any sense of responsibility about financial matters.
4. He had no sense of purpose [=he did not know what he wanted to do with his life] after his divorce.
5. She has a great sense of humor. [=she says funny things and can see the funny side of things]
6. He has no sense of humor. [=he does not find things amusing]
7. His excellent sense of direction [=ability to find his way around easily in a new place] was useful during our travels.
8. The chairman's speech gave us a clear sense of direction. [=helped us to know what we should try to accomplish]
• the ability to think clearly or in a reasonable way
1. His senses were clear despite his illness.
2. They hoped recent events would bring them to their senses. [=make them act sensibly]
3. I was scared out of my senses. [=I was so scared that I couldn't think clearly]
4. (chiefly Brit) Are you out of your senses? [=out of your mind]
• a proper or reasonable way of thinking about something
1. He had the sense to leave when the crowd got rowdy. [=he acted in a sensible way and left when the crowd got rowdy]
2. She had the good sense to stop before she said too much.
3. I wish she would see sense [=act in a sensible way] and go to college.
• a reason for doing something
1. There's no sense [=point] in waiting.
2. I fail to see the sense of/in that decision. [=I fail to see why that decision was made]
• the meaning of something (such as a word or phrase)
1. Many words have more than one sense.
2. in the biblical/religious/legal sense of the word
3. an abstract/broad sense
4. The American sense of this word differs from the British sense.
5. He learned the speech by heart but missed the sense entirely. [=he memorized the speech but he did not understand it]
6. The oldest sense of the word dates from 1890.
7. The intended sense of the passage was lost in translation.
8. The book is a classic in every sense of the word. [=in every possible way]
• to begin to think in a sensible or correct way after being foolish or wrong
1. He finally came to his senses and gave up his plans to quit his job and become an artist.
2. When will you come to your senses? Don't you realize that she's been lying to you?
• in one way
1. In one sense [=in a way], he was correct.
• in no way
1. This book is in no sense intended for beginners. = In no sense is this book intended for beginners. [=this book is too hard or advanced for beginners]
• in some ways
1. In some senses, it was a wasted effort.
• to cause someone to stop thinking or behaving foolishly
1. I tried to knock some sense into the boy's head, but he just wouldn't see reason.
• to understand (something)
1. We couldn't make (any) sense of the instructions.
2. Were you able to make any sense of what he said?
• to have a clear meaning
1. We read the recommendations and thought they made (perfect) sense.
2. The instructions don't make any sense (at all). = The instructions make no sense (at all). = The instructions make little sense.
3. You're not making much sense (to me). [=I can't understand what you're saying]
• to be reasonable
1. It makes sense to leave early to avoid traffic.
2. It makes little/no sense to continue. [=there is little/no point in continuing]
3. Why would he do such an awful thing? It makes no sense (to me).
• to cause (someone) to stop thinking or behaving foolishly
1. I couldn't talk sense to him.
2. He talked (some) sense into her and she promised she would get rid of that dangerous car.
• Verb
• to understand or be aware of (something) without being told about it or having evidence that it is true
1. We sensed danger.
2. She immediately sensed my dislike.
3. He sensed what was going on and decided to intervene.
4. I sensed that I may have offended you.
5. My mother told me later that even though she was miles away, she could sense [=tell] that something wasn't right at home.
6. People can sense [=perceive] when someone isn't being honest.
• to detect the presence or occurrence of (something)
1. A motion detector can sense movement.
2. a device that senses (the presence of) fine particles in the air
3. The system can sense if there is a readable CD in the drive.