n.

1. a general conscious awareness
   
   • a sense of security
   • a sense of happiness
   • a sense of danger
   • a sense of self
2. the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted;
   signified
   
   • the dictionary gave several senses for the word
   • in the best sense charity is really a duty
   • the signifier is linked to the signified
3. the faculty through which the external world is apprehended;
   sensation, sentience, sentiency, sensory faculty
   
   • in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing
4. sound practical judgment;
   common sense, good sense, gumption, horse sense, mother wit
   
   • Common sense is not so common
   • he hasn't got the sense God gave little green apples
   • fortunately she had the good sense to run away
5. a natural appreciation or ability
   
   • a keen musical sense
   • a good sense of timing

v.

1. perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles;
   feel
   
   • He felt the wind
   • She felt an object brushing her arm
   • He felt his flesh crawl
   • She felt the heat when she got out of the car
2. detect some circumstance or entity automatically
   
   • This robot can sense the presence of people in the room
   • particle detectors sense ionization
3. become aware of not through the senses but instinctively
   
   • I sense his hostility
4. comprehend
   
   • I sensed the real meaning of his letter