sense
(Informal)
[noun]
Synonyms:
- faculty, feeling, sensation
- feeling, atmosphere, aura, awareness, consciousness, impression, perception
- sometimes plural: intelligence, brains (informal), cleverness, common sense, judgment, reason, sagacity, sanity, sharpness, understanding, wisdom, wit(s)
- meaning, drift, gist, implication, import, significance
[verb]
Synonyms:
- perceive, be aware of, discern, feel, get the impression, pick up, realize, understand

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Antonyms: folly
Related Words: gist, pith, substance, center, core, focus, nucleus, awareness, cognizance, discernment, discrimination, penetration, appreciation, recognition, consciousness, discretion, foresight, prudence, comprehension, understanding, brains, intelligence, smarts, wit, anticipate, know, realize

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. sense¹ S1 W1 /sens/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: sensible, insensible, senseless, sensitive ≠ insensitive, sensory, nonsensical, insensate; noun: sense ≠ nonsense, sensibility ≠ insensibility, sensitivity ≠ insensitivity, senselessness, sensitization, sensor; adverb: sensibly, senselessly, sensitively ≠ insensitively; verb: sense, sensitize]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: sens, from Latin sensus, from sentire 'to feel']

1. [countable] a feeling about something
sense of
Afterwards, I felt a great sense of relief.
A sense of panic has spread over the country.
Employees need the sense of being appreciated.
with a sense of something
He looked around the room with a sense of achievement.
sense that
I had the sense that he was lying.

2. [singular] the ability to understand or judge something
sense of humour British English sense of humor American English (=the ability to understand and enjoy things that are funny)
I like Pam – she has a really good sense of humour.
sense of direction (=the ability to judge which way you should be going, or what your aims should be)
It was dark and he had completely lost his sense of direction.
sense of proportion (=the ability to judge what is important and what is not important)
Let’s keep a sense of proportion, and not rush to any hasty conclusions.
sense of justice/fairness
Kids have a natural sense of justice.
dress/clothes sense (=the ability to judge which clothes look good)

3. [countable] one of the five natural powers of sight, hearing, feeling, taste, and smell, that give us information about the things around us
sense of smell/taste/touch etc
She has a good sense of smell.
Cats have a very acute sense of hearing (=very good, so that they can hear even the smallest sound).
Combinations of flavors, textures, and color that can delight the senses.
the five senses (=all of the senses) ⇒ sixth sense

4. [uncountable] when someone makes sensible or practical decisions, or behaves in a sensible practical way
have the sense to do something (=behave in a sensible way and do what is best in that situation)
You should have had the sense to turn off the electricity first.
there is no sense in (doing) something spoken (=it is not sensible to do something)
There’s no sense in getting upset about it now.
see sense (=realize what is the sensible thing to do)
I wish the politicians would see sense and stop the war.
talk/knock some sense into somebody (=try to make someone behave in a more sensible way) ⇒ common sense

5. make sense
a) to have a clear meaning and be easy to understand:
Read this and tell me if it makes sense.
b) to be a sensible thing to do
it makes sense (for somebody) to do something
It makes sense to save money while you can.
Would it make sense for the city authorities to further restrict parking?
c) if something makes sense, there seems to be a good reason or explanation for it:
Why did she do a thing like that? It doesn’t seem to make sense.

6. make (some) sense of something to understand something, especially something difficult or complicated:
Can you make any sense of this article?

7. [countable] the meaning of a word, sentence, phrase etc:
The word ‘record’ has several different senses.
Any alteration would spoil the sense of the entire poem.

8. [countable] a way in which something can be true or real
in a sense/in one sense/in some senses etc (=in one way, in some ways etc)
What he says is right, in a sense.
The hotel was in no sense (=not at all) comfortable.
George was a big man in every sense of the word (=in every way).
This is true in a general sense.
Communication, in any real sense (=of any real kind), was extremely limited.
in a (very) real sense (=used to emphasize that a statement or description is true)
A head of a school is a manager in a very real sense.

9. your/her etc senses someone’s ability to think clearly and behave sensibly – used in some expressions when you think that someone has lost this ability
come to your senses (=to start to think clearly and behave sensibly again)
One day he’ll come to his senses and see what a fool he’s been.
See if you can bring her to her senses (=make someone think clearly and behave sensibly).
be out of your senses (=have lost the ability to think clearly and behave sensibly)
Are you completely out of your senses? ⇒ take leave of your senses at leave²(6)

10. talk sense spoken to say things that are reasonable or sensible – often used when you think someone has just said something silly:
Talk sense! There’s no way we can afford a new car!

11. regain your senses old-fashioned to stop feeling faint or slightly sick

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. sense² verb [transitive]
[Word Family: adjective: sensible, insensible, senseless, sensitive ≠ insensitive, sensory, nonsensical, insensate; noun: sense ≠ nonsense, sensibility ≠ insensibility, sensitivity ≠ insensitivity, senselessness, sensitization, sensor; adverb: sensibly, senselessly, sensitively ≠ insensitively; verb: sense, sensitize]

1. if you sense something, you feel that it exists or is true, without being told or having proof:
Perhaps he sensed your distrust.
sense (that)
I could sense that something was wrong.
sense what/how/who etc
Hugo had already sensed how unhappy she was.
sense danger/trouble
If a prairie dog senses danger, he whistles a warning.

2. if a machine senses something, it discovers and records it:
an electronic device used for sensing intruders

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

sense
noun
I. one of the five natural physical powers of the body
ADJ. acute, good, keen | poor | sixth
VERB + SENSE have He has an acute sense of smell.
lose She lost her sense of hearing early in life.
regain | heighten, sharpen | dull | appeal to He argued that art should appeal to the senses rather than the intellect.
SENSE + VERB tell sb When she came to, her senses told her she was lying on a sandy beach.
reel, swim Her senses reeled as she fought for consciousness.
SENSE + NOUN organ
PREP. through the ~s Although he can't see, he learns a lot through his other senses.
PHRASES an assault on the senses, the evidence of your senses, the five senses, the sense of hearing/sight/smell/taste/touch

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
II. understanding/awareness of sth
ADJ. deep, great, keen, strong, tremendous He felt a deep sense of relief after the phone call.
growing, heightened | slight, vague a vague sense of unease
innate, intuitive, natural a natural sense of justice
moral
VERB + SENSE feel, have | display, show | give sb | lose | heighten, sharpen | dull
PREP. ~ of He seems to have lost his sense of reality.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
III. natural ability to do/produce sth well
ADJ. good | bad, poor | innate, intuitive, natural | business, dress He has no dress sense.
VERB + SENSE have
PREP. ~ of a good sense of direction/rhythm/timing

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
IV. ability to think/act in a sensible way
ADJ. good | common, horse Common sense tells me I should get more sleep.
VERB + SENSE have He at least had the sense to call the police.
display, show | learn I wish my daughter would learn some sense.
SENSE + VERB tell sb
PHRASES have more money than sense, (not) an ounce of sense If you had an ounce of sense, you'd never have agreed to help him.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
V. reason
ADJ. perfect It all makes perfect sense (= is easy to understand).
VERB + SENSE make | see I tried to make him see sense, but he just wouldn't listen.
talk If you can't talk sense, I'm leaving!
PREP. ~ in There's a lot of sense in what he's saying.
PHRASES talk sense into sb We'll try and talk a little sense into her.
there's no sense in sth There's no sense in going home before the film.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
VI. your senses: ability to think clearly
VERB + SENSE come to, regain | take leave of Have you taken leave of your senses?
bring sb to
PHRASES in your (right) senses No one in their right senses would give him the job!

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
VII. meaning
ADJ. broad, wide The novel is about education in its widest sense.
narrow, strict | accepted | figurative, metaphorical | literal | pejorative | legal, technical
VERB + SENSE have That word has three senses.
make That sentence doesn't make sense (= has no meaning).
PREP. in a ~ In a sense, she's right.
PHRASES in every sense of the word, in a very real sense In a very real sense, post-war repression was the continuation of the war.
in the true sense of the word

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
verb
ADV. clearly, strongly I sensed quite strongly that she was angry with me.
dimly, vaguely | just Maybe she could just sense what I needed.
intuitively

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense

a strong/great sense of something
He had a strong sense of responsibility.
a real sense of something (=a strong feeling)
Children need to feel a real sense of belonging.
a deep sense of something (=a very strong feeling)
He felt a deep sense of disappointment.
a growing sense of something (=becoming stronger)
She looked around with a growing sense of unease.
a vague/slight sense of something (=not very strong)
There was a slight sense of embarrassment.
feel/have a sense of something
I felt a great sense of pride.
give somebody a sense of something
The job gave her a sense of control over her life.
convey a sense of something
We want to convey our sense of excitement to the audience.
a sense of relief/panic/guilt etc
We reached the medical centre with a sense of relief.
a sense of purpose/direction (=a feeling that you know what you are trying to achieve)
Becoming a mother had given her a new sense of purpose.
a sense of urgency (=a feeling that something is urgent)
The rescuers felt a real sense of urgency now.
a sense of responsibility/duty (=a feeling that you must do something because it is right)
Parents try to give their children a sense of responsibility.
a sense of loss (=a feeling of sadness for someone or something you no longer have)
Many women experience a sense of loss when their children leave home.
a sense of achievement/satisfaction (=a feeling that you have achieved something good)
Even a small success gives a sense of achievement.
a sense of security (=a feeling that you are safe)
A lack of trust in the parents can undermine the child's sense of security at home.
a false sense of security (=a feeling that you are safe, which is not actually true)
They were lulled into a false sense of security.
a sense of identity (=a feeling of knowing who you are and how you belong to a community)
Change can threaten our fragile sense of identity.
a sense of belonging (=a feeling that you belong to a group)
The organization tries to foster a sense of belonging through these social events.
a sense of occasion (=a feeling that an event is special or important)
It was a marvellous day and there was a real sense of occasion.
a sense of humour British English, a sense of humor American English (=the ability to laugh and enjoy things that are funny)
A good teacher needs a sense of humour.
a sense of fun (=the ability to enjoy yourself and make things fun)
What I liked about Maria was her sense of fun.
a sense of direction (=the ability to judge which way you should be going)
The place was completely dark and I lost all sense of direction.
a sense of proportion (=the ability to judge how important or unimportant something is)
It’s important to keep a sense of proportion.
a sense of timing (=the ability to choose the right moment to do or say something)
He told the story with an exquisite sense of timing.
a sense of justice/fairness
I appealed to her sense of justice.
a good/great sense of something
He is a popular boy with a good sense of humour.
a natural sense of something (=a natural ability)
She did not have a natural sense of direction.
a keen sense of something (=a good ability to judge something)
As a lawyer, he had a keen sense of the value of political connections.
dress/clothes sense (=an ability to choose clothes well)
Her dress sense was faultless.
business sense (=an ability to make good decisions in business)
Few young people have much business sense.
have a sense of something
She seems to have a great sense of the right thing to say.
lose your sense of something
Come on! Have you lost your sense of humour?
lose all sense of something
He seemed to have lost all sense of proportion.
keep/retain a sense of something
Throughout it all she retained her sense of fun.
a sense of smell/taste/touch etc
We lose some of the sense of taste as we get older.
the five senses
We use all five senses to explore the world around us.
a good/keen/acute sense of something
Pigs have a keen sense of smell.
a poor sense of something
Owls and other predatory birds have a poor sense of smell.
have a sense of something
You have to have a good sense of hearing to play the violin.
lose your sense of something
I think I’m losing my sense of smell.
in a sense (also in one sense)
The results are not terribly surprising in one sense.
in some sense (also in some senses)
George was perfectly right in some senses.
in every sense
He is lucky in every sense.
in no sense (=not at all)
This is in no sense a criticism.
in a general/broad sense
In a general sense, a rapid rate of technological change creates uncertainty.
in a (very) real sense (=used to emphasise that a statement or description is true)
The truth is that in a very real sense most families in Britain are not poor.
in a literal sense (=according to the actual or physical meaning of words)
I wasn't suggesting that in a literal sense.
sense danger
He stiffened, sensing danger.
sense trouble
The other women, sensing trouble, immediately began to edge away.
sense the tension
I could sense the tension in the court as the jury returned.
sense sb’s presence (=be aware that someone is there)
He sensed her presence, but didn’t look at her.
sense sb’s fear/excitement/reluctance etc
Luke paused and she sensed his reluctance to continue.
sense sb’s mood (=be aware of how someone is feeling)
He instinctively sensed her mood and changed the subject.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sense
sens
See: come to one's senses , horse sense , make sense , out of one's head or out of one's senses

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲