Sense (noun) is a feeling or awareness of something; one of the five bodily faculties (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch); or a particular meaning of a word. As a verb, to sense means to perceive or become aware of something, often intuitively. Example: She had a strong sense that she had used the wrong tense.
What Does Sense Mean?
Sense comes from Latin sensus (“faculty of feeling, perception, meaning”), from the verb sentire (to feel, perceive). It entered Middle English via Old French sens in the 14th century. The same Latin root gives us sensitive, sensation, sentiment, consent, and the suffix -sense found in nonsense.
In modern English, sense covers four overlapping areas. First, it describes an inner feeling or awareness that arises without obvious external evidence: a sense of dread, a sense of achievement. Second, it names the five bodily faculties through which we perceive the world: the sense of smell, a keen sense of hearing. Third, it identifies one specific meaning among several that a word might carry: use the word in its literal sense. Fourth, and most commonly in everyday speech, it refers to sound judgement: she has plenty of common sense.
As a verb, sense means to perceive or detect something, often without conscious reasoning: He sensed trouble ahead. In technology, sensors are devices that detect physical properties, a direct descendant of this meaning.
Note the key fixed phrases: make sense (to be logical or understandable), common sense (basic practical judgement), in a sense (partly true), and come to one’s senses (to start thinking clearly again).
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level & Note |
|---|---|
| Does this sentence make sense to you? | A2 — fixed phrase, question form |
| She had a strong sense that she had used the wrong tense. | B1 — sense as intuitive feeling + that-clause |
| Dogs have a much better sense of smell than humans do. | B1 — sense as bodily faculty + comparison |
| The word “right” can be used in a legal sense as well as a moral one. | B2 — sense as a particular meaning of a word |
| In a broader sense, the study of linguistics encompasses not only grammar but also the social contexts in which language is used. | C1 — fixed phrase “in a broader sense”, academic register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| make sense | Your explanation makes perfect sense. |
| common sense | A bit of common sense goes a long way. |
| sense of humour | She has a wonderful sense of humour. |
| sense of direction | He has no sense of direction whatsoever. |
| sense of achievement | Finishing the course gave her a real sense of achievement. |
| strong sense | He had a strong sense of duty towards his community. |
| in a sense | In a sense, every word is a small story. |
| come to one’s senses | He eventually came to his senses and apologised. |
| sense of smell / taste / hearing | She lost her sense of taste after the illness. |
| literal / figurative sense | Use the word in its figurative sense here. |
Usage Notes
How to use sense correctly
- Noun + that-clause: I had a sense that something was wrong. The noun sense can introduce a that-clause to describe an intuitive feeling.
- Noun + of + noun: a sense of humour, a sense of smell, a sense of loss. This is the most common pattern. The following noun names the quality or faculty perceived.
- Fixed phrase “make sense”: Always used without an article — never “make a sense” or “make the sense”. Subject can be a thing or a person: This policy makes sense. / I can’t make sense of this map.
- Verb form: Sense as a verb is not normally used in the progressive: prefer I sense danger over I am sensing danger in formal English.
- “Common sense”: Uncountable — no article, no plural. She has common sense. Not a common sense or common senses in this meaning.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
This doesn’t make a sense.
This doesn’t make sense. (no article with “make sense”)
She has a very good common sense.
She has very good common sense. (common sense is uncountable)
I am currently sensing that he is upset.
I sense that he is upset. (sense as a stative verb avoids the progressive)
In some sense, you are right — the senses of this are complex.
In a sense, you are right — this word has several senses. (fixed phrase is “in a sense”; plural “senses” refers to meanings, not the fixed phrase)