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sense definition

sense (sens)

noun

  1. the ability of the nerves and the brain to receive and react to stimuli, as light, sound, impact, constriction, etc.; specif., any of five faculties of receiving impressions through specific bodily organs and the nerves associated with them (sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing)
  2. the senses considered as a total function of the bodily organism, as distinguished from intellect, movement, etc.
    1. feeling, impression, or perception through the senses a sense of warmth, pain, etc.
    2. a generalized feeling, awareness, or realization a sense of longing
  3. an ability to judge, discriminate, or estimate external conditions, sounds, etc. a sense of direction, pitch, etc.
  4. an ability to feel, appreciate, or understand some quality a sense of humor, honor, etc.
    1. the ability to think or reason soundly; normal intelligence and judgment, often as reflected in behavior
    2. soundness of judgment or reasoning some sense in what he says
    3. something wise, sound, or reasonable to talk sense
    4. normal ability to reason soundly to come to one's senses
    1. meaning; esp., any of several meanings conveyed by or attributed to the same word or phrase
    2. essential signification; gist to grasp the sense of a remark
  5. the general opinion, sentiment, or attitude of a group
  6. Math. either of two contrary directions that may be specified, as clockwise or counterclockwise for the circumference of a circle, positive or negative for a line segment, etc.

Etymology: Fr sens < L sensus < sentire, to feel, perceive: see send

transitive verb sensed, sensing sens′·ing

  1. to be or become aware of to sense another's hostility
  2. to comprehend; understand
  3. to detect automatically, as by sensors
sense Idioms

in a sense

  1. to a limited extent or degree
  2. in one aspect

make sense

to be intelligible or logical

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
sense Synonyms

sense

n.

  1. One of the powers of physical perception

    kinesthesia, function, sensation; see hearing 3, sight 1, smell 3, taste 1, touch 1, 4.

  2. Mental ability

    intellect, understanding, reason, mind, spirit, soul, brains, judgment, wit, imagination, common sense, cleverness, reasoning, intellectual ability, mental capacity, knowledge; see also thought 1.

    Antonyms dullness*, idiocy*, feeble wit.

  3. Reasonable and agreeable conduct

    reasonableness, fairmindedness, discretion; see fairness.

  4. Tact and understanding

    insight, discernment, social sense; see feeling 4, judgment 1.

in a sense

in a way, to a degree, somewhat; see somehow.

make sense

be reasonable, be logical, look all right, add up*; see appear 1, seem.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

sense Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • humor: I like a bit of banter, think i have a good sense of humor.

Converse of object

  • make: Would not make much sense to swap Lennon for SWP.

Adjective modifier

  • common: Nice Little Runner, Selling 4 My Mate Lastly, some common sense is always a good thing.

Modifies a noun

  • organ: We have no sense organ for perceiving energy itself, our senses tell us of nothing but matter.

Noun used with modifier

  • dress: A keen critic of the dress sense of his contemporaries.
sense usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

sense quotes

He still had his glorious sense of words drawn from the special reservoir from which Lincoln also drew, fed by Shakespeare and thoseTudor critics who wrote the first Prayer Book of Edward VI and their Jacobean successors who translated the Bible.

-Acheson, Dean Gooderham

: Ihavea finesense oftheridiculous, but nosense of humour. 9

-Albee, Edward Franklin, III

   A bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.

-Balliett,Whitney

sense quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"sense." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/sense>

APA Style

sense. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/sense

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