- 1[countable] one of the five powers (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) that your body uses to get information about the world around you the five senses Dogs have a keen (= strong) sense of smell. the sense organs (= eyes, ears, nose, etc.) I could hardly believe the evidence of my own senses (= what I could see, hear, etc.). The mixture of sights, smells, and sounds around her made her senses reel. see sixth sense
feeling - 2[countable] a feeling about something important He felt an overwhelming sense of loss. a strong sense of purpose/identity/duty, etc. Helmets can give cyclists a false sense of security. I had the sense that he was worried about something.
- 3[singular] an understanding about something; an ability to judge something One of the most important things in a partner is a sense of humor (= the ability to find things funny or make people laugh). He has a very good sense of direction (= finds the way to a place easily). She has lost all sense of direction in her life. Always try to keep a sense of proportion (= of the relative importance of different things). a sense of rhythm/timing Alex doesn't have any dress sense (= does not know which clothes look attractive).
- 4[uncountable] good understanding and judgment; knowledge of what is sensible or practical behavior You should have the sense to take advice when it is offered. There's no sense in (= it is not sensible) worrying about it now. Can't you talk sense (= say something sensible)? There's a lot of sense in what Mary says. see common sense, good sense normal state of mind
- 5senses [plural] a normal state of mind; the ability to think clearly If she threatens to leave, it should bring him to his senses. He waited for Dora to come to her senses and return. (old-fashioned) Are you out of your senses? You'll be killed! (old-fashioned) Why does she want to marry him? She must have taken leave of her senses. meaning
- 6[countable] the meaning that a word or phrase has; a way of understanding something The word “love” is used in different senses by different people. education in its broadest sense He was a true friend, in every sense of the word (= in every possible way). In a sense (= in one way) it doesn't matter any more. In some senses (= in one or more ways) the criticisms were justified. The medical care was excellent, in a technical sense. (formal) In no sense can the issue be said to be resolved. There is a sense in which we are all to blame for the tragedy. Which Word?sensible / sensitive
- Sensible and sensitive are connected with two different meanings of sense.
- Sensible refers to your ability to make good judgments:She gave me some very sensible advice. It wasn’t very sensible to go out on your own so late at night.
- Sensitive refers to how easily you react to things and how much you are aware of things or other people:a soap for sensitive skin This movie may upset a sensitive child.
Idioms - 1to have a meaning that you can easily understand This sentence doesn't make sense.
- 2to be a sensible thing to do It makes sense to buy the most up-to-date version.
- 3to be easy to understand or explain John wasn't making much sense on the phone. Who would send me all these flowers? It makes no sense.
sight/hearing, etc.
to try and persuade someone to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods Try and talk some sense into her before she makes the wrong decision. Where would I be without you to knock some sense into my head?
to understand something that is difficult or has no clear meaning I can't make sense of that painting.
to start to be sensible or reasonable
a feeling or understanding that an event is important or special Candles on the table gave the evening a sense of occasion.
to start behaving as if you are crazy
Check pronunciation: sense