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sense

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noun British English pronunciation: sense /sens/ 
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singularsense
pluralsenses
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [singular] a strong feeling or belief about yourself
    sense of:

    Winning an award would give me a great sense of achievement.

    They say they are dealing with the problem, but there seems to be no sense of urgency.

    a sense of optimism/confidence/well-being:

    A little bit of praise and appreciation can give people a real sense of well-being.

    a sense of foreboding/unease/panic:

    Beth read Jake's letter with a mounting sense of panic.

    a sense of identity/belonging/community:

    It's a small village with a strong sense of local identity.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
  2. 2
    [countable] one of the natural abilities that most people have to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things, known as the five senses
    sense of smell/taste/touch etc:

    Dogs have a sense of smell that is five times more sensitive than that of humans.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
    1. a.
      [singular] a natural ability or quality that some people have

      You need a good sense of balance to skate well.

      sense of humour (=the ability to laugh at things or say funny things):

      She's got a great sense of humour.

      sense of direction (=an ability to know where you are going, even when you are in a place that you do not know):

      I'm sure he'll be able to find the house – he has a pretty good sense of direction.

      business sense:

      Our father was a good designer, but he had no business sense.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
    2. b.
      [uncountable] the ability to behave in an intelligent way and make good decisions

      He should have had the sense to park the car in the shade.

      talk sense (=speak in an intelligent way):

      At least they've got someone who can talk sense on the subject.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
  3. 3
    [uncountable] a good reason, or a useful purpose

    There's no sense in going ahead until the costs have been agreed.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
    1. a.

      senses

       [plural] a reasonable way of talking and behaving
      bring someone to their senses (=make someone become reasonable):

      What's it going to take to bring him to his senses?

      come to your senses (=become reasonable):

      Portman urged the government to come to its senses and stop nuclear testing.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
      See also  see1
  4. 4
    [countable] the meaning of a word or phrase

    The word 'bank' has a number of senses.

    We are talking about vocational training in the broadest sense.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense
    1. a.
      [singular] a way of thinking about or understanding something, although there may be other ways
      in a sense:

      My family's from this area, so in a sense it's like coming home.

      in one sense:

      In one sense, Robertson is a typical politician.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of sense

phrases

This is the British English definition of sense. View American English definition of sense.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for sense.

 

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