Verbs of the Senses

Verbs of the Senses in English (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste & Touch)

Hello, English learners 👋 Welcome to today’s vocabulary lesson. We experience the world through our five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. English has a rich range of verbs that help us describe how we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things, often with great precision.

Understanding verbs of the senses is especially important for everyday conversation, descriptive writing and storytelling, reading comprehension and B2 First and C1 Advanced exams

In this lesson, you’ll learn common and useful verbs of the senses, grouped by sense, with clear meanings and natural example sentences.

Let’s explore them one sense at a time.

👁️ Sight (Seeing)

See

Meaning: to perceive something with your eyes.

• I can see the mountains from my window.

Look

Meaning: to turn your eyes towards something deliberately.

• Look at that sunset — it’s beautiful.

Watch

Meaning: to look at something attentively, especially when it is moving or changing.

• I like to watch football matches on TV.

Observe

Meaning: to watch carefully, often for a specific purpose.

• The scientist observed the animals in their natural habitat.

Notice

Meaning: to become aware of something, often without trying.

• She noticed a small crack in the wall.

Glimpse

Meaning: to see something briefly or for a short moment.

• I glimpsed a shooting star last night.

View

Meaning: to look at something carefully or formally.

• We viewed the exhibition at the gallery.

👂 Hearing (Listening)

Hear

Meaning: to perceive sound through the ears.

• I can hear birds singing outside.

Listen

Meaning: to pay attention to sounds or speech.

• Please listen carefully to the instructions.

Overhear

Meaning: to hear something unintentionally.

• I overheard their conversation on the bus.

Eavesdrop

Meaning: to listen secretly to a private conversation.

• He was caught eavesdropping on their discussion.

Detect

Meaning: to notice or identify a sound, often faint or hidden.

• She detected a strange noise in the engine.

Perceive

Meaning: to become aware of something through the senses.

• He perceived a faint sound coming from the attic.

Attend (to)

Meaning: to listen carefully and give full attention.

• The students attended to the teacher’s explanation.

Monitor

Meaning: to listen to or check sounds regularly.

• The technician monitored the audio levels during recording.

👃 Smell (Odours & Scents)

Smell

Meaning: to perceive an odour through the nose.

• I can smell fresh bread from the bakery.

Sniff

Meaning: to breathe in through the nose to detect a smell.

• He sniffed the milk to see if it was still fresh.

Whiff

Meaning: to notice a brief or faint smell.

• She caught a whiff of perfume as someone passed by.

Inhale

Meaning: to breathe in, often deeply.

• He inhaled the scent of freshly brewed coffee.

Scent

Meaning: to detect a smell, often used for animals.

• The dog scented its owner from far away.

Sniffle

Meaning: to breathe in repeatedly through the nose, often because of a cold or crying.

• She sniffled quietly during the sad film.

Nose (around)

Meaning: to search or investigate, often using the sense of smell.

• The dog nosed around the garden for treats.

👅 Taste (Food & Drink)

Taste

Meaning: to perceive flavour through the mouth.

• This soup tastes delicious.

Savour

Meaning: to enjoy a flavour slowly and fully.

• She savoured every bite of the dessert.

Sample

Meaning: to try a small amount of food or drink.

• He sampled the cheese before buying it.

Nibble

Meaning: to eat small bites.

• She nibbled on a biscuit.

Chew

Meaning: to break food down with your teeth.

• Remember to chew your food properly.

Devour

Meaning: to eat quickly and eagerly.

• He devoured the meal after a long day.

Swallow

Meaning: to move food or drink from the mouth to the stomach.

• She swallowed the pill with water.

Sip

Meaning: to drink small amounts slowly.

• He sipped his tea while reading.

✋ Touch (Physical Contact)

Touch

Meaning: to come into contact with something.

• Don’t touch the hot surface.

Feel

Meaning: to perceive something through contact.

• I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin.

Grip

Meaning: to hold something firmly.

• He gripped the handle tightly.

Stroke

Meaning: to move your hand gently over a surface.

• She stroked the dog’s head.

Tap

Meaning: to touch lightly and briefly.

• He tapped her on the shoulder.

Press

Meaning: to apply pressure.

• Press the button to start the machine.

Pat

Meaning: to touch gently, often repeatedly.

• She patted the child on the back.

Caress

Meaning: to touch gently and affectionately.

• She caressed the baby’s cheek.

Pinch

Meaning: to squeeze something between fingers.

• He pinched his arm to check he wasn’t dreaming.

Rub

Meaning: to move your hand back and forth over something.

• She rubbed her hands together to keep warm.

Final Thoughts

Verbs of the senses allow you to describe experiences vividly and naturally, making your English more expressive and precise. They are especially useful in descriptions, stories, opinions, and exam writing, where detail and clarity really matter.

Try learning them in context, and practise using a few at a time in your speaking or writing.

Learn verbs of body movement here

Learn adjectives of touch here

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