1A faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

2A feeling that something is the case.

1. 2.1 An awareness or feeling that one is in a specified state.
   you can improve your general health and sense of well-being

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It gives me a very particular sense of well-being: enlivened, yet benign.
   • He seemed unfamiliar with the city's geography, but he did have a sense of urgency.
   • Few things strike closer to a person's sense of well-being than how much he or she earns.
   • He seems as passionate and sincere as ever, but not quite as laid back, as if there's a new sense of urgency in everything he says.
   • It is a matter for them and whether it actually improves or increases people's sense of well-being and security remains to be seen.
   • There is no empathy between them and there is no sense whatsoever of spatial awareness.
   • There are very few who do not feel benefit either on a physical or on an emotional level, with a general overall sense of well-being.
   • Keep in mind that all of these students are juniors/seniors who have no sense of a rivalry.
   • They hit their lines in the script, with an unusual sense of urgency and concern.
   • Despite the pretty scenery and the pretty boys, the show lacks any sense of drama or emotion.
   • I think he had a certain facile sense of irreverence that he used to negate all nervousness.
   • One could argue that this sense of belonging is what keeps most camps running for years and years.
   • What is annoying is the lack of any sense of moral detachment from the activities he describes.
   • This has done significant harm to the quality of life and sense of well-being of the families involved.
   • I mean, he was a man that was free, just totally free from any sense of discrimination.
   • She couldn't explain it but she felt a sense of urgency that she should keep running.
   • Everyone laughed, and once again, I was hit with an overwhelming sense of belonging.
   • I hope at some point in her life she looks back on what she did and the way in which she did it and she feels some sense of remorse.
   • This will improve your mental health, sense of peace, well-being, etc.
   • Most, though, are left with a general sense of well-being and increased energy.
2. 2.2sense of A keen intuitive awareness of or sensitivity to the presence or importance of something.
   she had a fine sense of comic timing

   Example sentencesExamples

   • His sense of timing and presentation was a delight to watch and it made magic much more interesting.
   • Thus was Hollywood given the maniacal sense of its own importance that will continue to inflate until the crack of doom.
   • A powerful, quiet presence brings a reassuring sense of order and peace to a coming relationship.
   • From the very first, there was a sense of importance about the venture.
   • She has stage presence and a keen sense of the absurd, particularly in the political realm.
   • Many of her poems and hymns capture her sense of the presence of God.
   • I think that they still have a tremendous sense of the importance of tradition and of duty.
   • That album was bloated, overblown and stuffed full of guitar solos and a misplaced sense of its own importance.
   • We are looking for a reporter with a keen news sense and a strong awareness of the issues of importance to our readers.
   • I therefore approach this case with a keen sense of its importance.
   • We have lost a general sense of purpose that a knowledge of our ancestors gives us.
   • And sometimes national coaches possess a deluded sense of their own importance.
   • I take this situation with a sense of irony, it's like a bad joke.
   • Humour's your best medicine at present, and a sense of the absurd your saving grace.
   • There are times when one gets a sense of being present at the making of history.
   • It gave her an inflated sense of importance, and for a moment, she forgot her troubles.
   • It gave us all a sense of involvement and importance that electronic voting will never give us.
   • She gained a sense of the importance of the work from her mother's commitment to it.
   • He was devoted to his family and was a man with a fine sense of place who was well focussed on the important things in life.
   • The game is physical and visceral, and we were amazed at just how clearly a sense of presence in time and space was communicated.

   Synonyms

   appreciation, awareness, understanding, comprehension, discernment, acknowledgement

3A sane and realistic attitude to situations and problems.

1. 3.1 A reasonable or comprehensible rationale.
   I can't see the sense in leaving all the work to you

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Her mind became a blur; nothing was making sense at that moment.
   • If you are concerned this may be a possibility it makes sense to stick with your existing company.
   • He points out that remortgaging can make sense from an inheritance tax standpoint.
   • It makes it difficult for City fans to stomach at the moment but in every sense young Hogg's departure made sense.
   • Ethical living is promoted not because it makes rational sense, but because it offers a guide for personal behaviour.
   • Things were making sense: this must have been the ‘murder’ the girls were talking about - idle, mistaken gossip.
   • Unfortunately, myself and the board are charged with making rational sense of all this.
   • Yet, with so little making sense at the moment, such mad ramblings become more potent.
   • If we suffer for no reason, if we can find no sense, no reason to our suffering, it makes us crazy.
   • Making money and making sense at the same time.
   • To say one can have a strong state makes no sense in this context.
   • It made economic sense, and it made sense to invest social capital in youth, he said.
   • In other words, religion is our way of making sense out of nonsense, necessary precisely because life, in and of itself, may well be meaningless.
   • If the reasons make no sense and are without foundation then I should so rule.
   • The latter was an example of overreach that made no sense from an American standpoint.
   • In detective fiction, everything ends up making sense.
   • Of course, that was ridiculous, but to her nothing made much rational sense.
   • Alas, all of what you're saying makes rational sense, but I think it may be totally beside the point.
   • It does make sense the Vikings would have settled here because of the water.
   • If they will continue on that line, they will not be passing any law that has any rational sense.

   Synonyms

   purpose, point, reason, aim, object, motive, use, utility, value, advantage, benefit

4A way in which an expression or a situation can be interpreted; a meaning.

5Mathematics Physics
A property (e.g. direction of motion) distinguishing a pair of objects, quantities, effects, etc. which differ only in that each is the reverse of the other.

1. 5.1Genetics as modifier Relating to or denoting a coding sequence of nucleotides, complementary to an antisense sequence.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Polar mutations change a sense codon for a specific amino acid within a gene into a nonsense or translational termination codon.

1Perceive by a sense or senses.

1. 1.1 Be aware of.
   she could sense her father's anger rising

   Example sentencesExamples

   • She could sense something strange about him but she couldn't put her finger on it.
   • He says he can't do it any longer, but you sense his words belie his feelings.
   • Alarmingly, a kind of savage intelligence is quite apparent in them; McIntyre senses this too.
   • As if sensing his presence the stranger turned and for just a brief instant looked directly at the kid across the street staring at him.
   • If Lance senses the slightest hint of disloyalty or lack of dedication, you're gone.
   • I could sense his great urgency to unload what he had been through.
   • She had been able to sense these things, but never been able to place a finger on anything.
   • I just sensed something was wrong when I saw them high-tailing on back.
   • Perhaps it was because he sensed the campaign - and his father - were faring so poorly.
   • She could sense something different in his eyes as he looked at her tonight.
   • She'd been sensing the growing attraction between Grace and her father for quite some time, and she always gave them every opportunity.
   • The crowd, sensing the presence of danger, death, and violence in that place and moment, responds accordingly.
   • Her father sensed her fear and discomfort and drew her to one side.
   • Then, perhaps sensing what I really want, he points to his window.
   • Growing up in a bad neighborhood in Chicago had made Randy able to sense certain things.
   • The machinations of Booker juries are a smugly guarded secret, but one senses a good few compromises and second-bests here.
   • It came within 50 feet of me and stopped, sensing something wrong.
   • His father must have sensed it too, because he pulled away and turned around and left, pretty quickly.
   • But you sensed you couldn't talk about anything too personal.
   • Sensing my uneasiness, Keith slipped his arms away from around my waist.
2. 1.2with clause Be aware that something is the case without being able to define exactly how one knows.
   he could sense that he wasn't liked

   Example sentencesExamples

   • So I was surprised by the mixture of bewilderment and scorn I sensed from out-of-town visitors that November.
   • So I think already people are sensing that there may be some changes of policy on the way.
   • It seemed to be able to sense when I was feeling vulnerable and alone, and it seemed to prey on me then.
   • They are able both to sense what the people want or to tell them what the people should have.
   • Growing up, Dale could always sense what kind of mood she was in.
   • She sensed something wrong about him, something his beautiful face carefully hid.
   • He senses that the country is tired of the old kind of politics, that people are turned off.
   • Griffith seemed to sense something amiss, and he nodded his consent.
   • She senses there's a hidden meaning, and asks for clarification.
   • I can see the temptations of power at work - the more he senses that he has power, the more he will flex it to witness it in action, to feel the pleasure of command.
   • Your campers can tell just from being with you and sensing how accepting and genuinely happy you are to be with them which category of adult you fall into.
   • I just got off the phone with him, and I think he senses that this is a whole new ball game now.
   • Andrew glared at his friend and he sensed something amiss.
   • It is only after the king senses or is aware of his status that a linear process sets in.
   • Rachel, bless her, sensing I'd been pushed too far by too many people for too many days, quietly read in the kitchen.
   • The only explanation is that he was somehow able to sense that I was the kind of man who would throw himself out of a plane.
   • Jade seemed to sense my uneasiness, and threw her arms around my neck.
   • He could almost sense what was coming next.
   • My hand was about six inches away from the electric can opener, and I was able to sense where the motor was inside of the assembly.
   • They hadn't made any plans, but Jade sensed that her friend needed to be able to relax and have some fun.
3. 1.3 (of a machine or similar device) detect.
   an optical fiber senses a current flowing in a conductor

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The device can also be configured to provide different audible sounds for different movements that are sensed by the device.
   • As soon as the motion detectors sensed that I had entered the elevator, the door closed as rapidly as it had opened.
   • Modern sensing devices detect objects or terrain disturbances even though they are well camouflaged.
   • Note that when used with a compact fluorescent bulb, the local control mode in the appliance module often senses a small current flow and keeps turning on.
   • The study by Goodman et al is an example of a study using an objective technique for measuring inhaler skills, a computer sensing device.