(~s, sensing, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
Your ~s are the physical abilities of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste.
She stared at him again, unable to believe the evidence of her ~s.
...a keen ~ of smell.
N-COUNT
see also sixth ~
2.
If you ~ something, you become aware of it or you realize it, although it is not very obvious.
She probably ~d that I wasn’t telling her the whole story...
He looks about him, sensing danger...
Prost had ~d what might happen.
VERB: V that, V n, V wh
3.
If you have a ~ that something is the case, you think that it is the case, although you may not have firm, clear evidence for this belief.
Suddenly you got this ~ that people were drawing themselves away from each other...
There is no ~ of urgency on either side.
N-SING: N that, N of n
see also ~ of occasion
4.
If you have a ~ of guilt or relief, for example, you feel guilty or relieved.
When your child is struggling for life, you feel this overwhelming ~ of guilt...
= feeling
N-SING: N of n
5.
If you have a ~ of something such as duty or justice, you are aware of it and believe it is important.
We must keep a ~ of proportion about all this...
She needs to regain a ~ of her own worth.
N-SING: N of n
6.
Someone who has a ~ of timing or style has a natural ability with regard to timing or style. You can also say that someone has a bad ~ of timing or style.
He has an impeccable ~ of timing...
Her dress ~ is appalling.
N-SING: N of n, also n N
see also ~ of humour
7.
Sense is the ability to make good judgments and to behave sensibly.
...when he was younger and had a bit more ~...
When that doesn’t work they sometimes have the ~ to seek help...
N-UNCOUNT
see also common ~
8.
If you say that there is no ~ or little ~ in doing something, you mean that it is not a sensible thing to do because nothing useful would be gained by doing it.
There’s no ~ in pretending this doesn’t happen...
= point
N-SING: with neg, N in -ing, N -ing
9.
A ~ of a word or expression is one of its possible meanings.
...a noun which has two ~s...
Then she remembered that they had no mind in any real ~ of that word.
= meaning
N-COUNT
10.
Sense is used in several expressions to indicate how true your statement is. For example, if you say that something is true in a ~, you mean that it is partly true, or true in one way. If you say that something is true in a general ~, you mean that it is true in a general way.
In a ~, both were right...
In one ~, the fact that few new commercial buildings can be financed does not matter...
He’s not the leader in a political ~...
Though his background was modest, it was in no ~ deprived.
PHRASE: PHR with cl
11.
If something makes ~, you can understand it.
He was sitting there saying, ‘Yes, the figures make ~.’
PHRASE: V inflects
12.
When you make ~ of something, you succeed in understanding it.
This is to help her to come to terms with her early upbringing and make ~ of past experiences.
PHRASE: V inflects
13.
If a course of action makes ~, it seems sensible.
It makes ~ to look after yourself...
The project should be re-appraised to see whether it made sound economic ~...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft it PHR to-inf
14.
If you say that someone has come to their ~s or has been brought to their ~s, you mean that they have stopped being foolish and are being sensible again.
Eventually the world will come to its ~s and get rid of them...
PHRASE: V inflects
15.
If you say that someone seems to have taken leave of their ~s, you mean that they have done or said something very foolish. (OLD-FASHIONED)
They looked at me as if I had taken leave of my ~s.
PHRASE: V inflects
16.
If you say that someone talks ~, you mean that what they say is sensible.
PHRASE: V inflects
17.
If you have a ~ that something is true or get a ~ that something is true, you think that it is true. (mainly SPOKEN)
Do you have the ~ that you are loved by the public?
PHRASE: V inflects
18.
to see ~: see see