feel
Americanverb (used with object)
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feels,
present (3rd person singular)
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felt,
past participle, past
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feeling
present participle
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to perceive or examine by touch.
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to have a sensation of (something), other than by sight, hearing, taste, or smell.
to feel a toothache.
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to find or pursue (one's way) by touching, groping, or cautious moves.
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to be or become conscious of.
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to be emotionally affected by.
to feel one's disgrace keenly.
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to experience the effects of.
The whole region felt the storm.
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to have a particular sensation or impression of (often used reflexively and usually followed by an adjunct or complement).
to feel oneself slighted.
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to have a general or thorough conviction of; think; believe.
I feel he's guilty.
verb (used without object)
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feels,
present (3rd person singular)
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felt,
past participle, past
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feeling
present participle
-
to have perception by touch or by any nerves of sensation other than those of sight, hearing, taste, and smell.
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to make examination by touch; grope.
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to perceive a state of mind or a condition of body.
to feel happy; to feel well.
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to have a sensation of being.
to feel warm.
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to make itself perceived or apparent; seem.
How does it feel to be rich?
noun
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feels
plural
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a quality of an object that is perceived by feeling or touching.
the soft feel of cotton.
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a sensation of something felt; a vague mental impression or feeling.
a feel of winter; a feel of sadness in the air.
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the sense of touch.
soft to the feel.
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native ability or acquired sensitivity.
to have a feel for what is right.
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Informal. an act or instance of touching with the hand or fingers.
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Slang: Vulgar. an act or instance of feeling up.
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Informal. feels, strong, often positive feelings: I have so many feels right now.
That song gives me feels.
I have so many feels right now.
verb phrase
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feel up to to feel or be able to; be capable of.
He didn't feel up to going to the theater so soon after his recent illness.
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feel out to attempt to ascertain (the nature of a situation, someone's attitude, etc.) by indirect or subtle means.
Why not feel out the other neighbors' opinions before you make a complaint.
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feel for
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to feel sympathy for or compassion toward; empathize with.
I know you're disappointed and upset, and I feel for you.
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Southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland. to have a liking or desire for.
If you feel for more pie, just help yourself.
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feel up to fondle or touch (someone) in a sexual manner.
idioms
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cop a feel, to touch another person's body sexually, often in a quick and surreptitious way.
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feel like,
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to have a desire for; be favorably disposed to.
I don't feel like going out tonight. Do you feel like a movie?
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to think; have the opinion (often used to soften the tone of discourse).
I feel like this is the only solution in this case.
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to have a particular impression; believe (used to express emotional sentiments).
I feel like she doesn't love me anymore.
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feel no pain. pain.
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feel like oneself, to be in one's usual frame of mind or state of health: Also feel oneself.
She hasn't been feeling like herself since the accident.
verb
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to perceive (something) by touching
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to have a physical or emotional sensation of (something)
to feel heat
to feel anger
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(tr) to examine (something) by touch
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(tr) to find (one's way) by testing or cautious exploration
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(copula) to seem or appear in respect of the sensation given
I feel tired
it feels warm
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to have an indistinct, esp emotional conviction; sense (esp in the phrase feel in one's bones )
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to show sympathy or compassion (towards)
I feel for you in your sorrow
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to believe, think, or be of the opinion (that)
he feels he must resign
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slang to pass one's hands over the sexual organs of
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to have an inclination (for something or doing something)
I don't feel like going to the pictures
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to be fit and sure of oneself
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(usually used with a negative or in a question) to be fit enough for (something or doing something)
I don't feel up to going out tonight
noun
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the act or an instance of feeling, esp by touching
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the quality of or an impression from something perceived through feeling
the house has a homely feel about it
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the sense of touch
the fabric is rough to the feel
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an instinctive aptitude; knack
she's got a feel for this sort of work
Usage
When the verb feel is used in the sense "to think or believe," it typically implies believing or having an opinion on the basis of emotion or intuition, even in circumstances unsupported by much real evidence. Although some usage experts object, such use is well established in English and can be traced as far back as Middle English. When feel is used specifically to express a subjective impression, it is often used with as if, as though, or that and followed by a full sentence: I felt as if my world had come to an end. He feels as though it is always raining. I feel that things will get better now. More informally, feel can be used without as if/as though/that : I feel he's guilty. And a full sentence does not have to follow: I felt his answer to be impolite. In the same sense of "to think or believe," an alternative phrase feel like is found in informal or casual speech. This use of feel like typically expresses an opinion or emotional sentiment with a softened or tentative tone: I feel like nothing is getting done here. I feel like he is just too arrogant. Though increasingly common, use of the phrase feel like has been criticized as lazy thinking that ignores real evidence, while avoiding confrontation and debate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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feelsimple
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feelssimple
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have feltperfect
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has feltperfect
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am feelingprogressive
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are feelingprogressive
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is feelingprogressive
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have been feelingperfect progressive
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has been feelingperfect progressive
Past
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feltsimple
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had feltperfect
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was feelingprogressive
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were feelingprogressive
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had been feelingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of feel
First recorded before 900; Middle English felen, Old English fēlan; cognate with Old Saxon fōlian, German fühlen; akin to Old Norse falma “to grope”; see fumble
Explanation
If you put your hand on someone's arm, they will feel your touch; if you give them a piece of really bad news, they will feel sad. Feel means to be aware of a physical or emotional sensation. Feel is most often used as a verb, meaning to physically touch or grope something or to be conscious of something emotionally. There's also a noun form of feel, which describes an awareness of something or the physical property of something, like in the sentences, "This place has the feel of a palace," or "She told me it was cotton, but it has the feel of silk."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Someone experiencing it might feel that remembering information, concentrating, or finding the right words has become more difficult.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
You can feel it in how he shoots the house’s severely winding stairs — dangerous for Leslie and Martin to navigate — from occasionally vertiginous angles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
"I wear my heart on my sleeve and I say how I feel in the moment."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Nadira Goffe explains why some fans feel shortchanged by this sequel.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
Just knowing I am about to play already makes me feel better.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Elisha says her beliefs as a whole have been shaken, yet she feels reluctant to leave the faith, partly because it is what provides her with her community and she fears isolation.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Ironically, the inventive time-travel tale feels of a totally different era from its predecessor.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
It feels all the more galling because you gave up your career.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Now, “you don’t see the hall stretchers, it just feels fine. There’s not equipment everywhere.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
She tells me about the list that I was on – the original one, not this one – and the other children on it, how she feels responsible for them.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
"We felt immense joy and happiness. We've received so much love and inspiration - something we had never imagined," says Padam Singh.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
But at the same time I … felt like it was right for me to at least say,’ Hey, man, I didn’t mean it in any disrespectful way.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
In the Cornell backlash, he blamed "people who felt that the status quo was being threatened, people who didn't like the idea of women being treated equally, people who wanted to shut up women."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Brookner, alas, did nothing to dispel these assumptions, and waspish critics felt she lacked pizazz: “a sad little handbag-carrying lady,” the novelist Frederic Raphael cruelly proposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Nothing so humiliating as another guy revealing what I felt.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
“But lately, other feelings, and one in particular, have risen to the surface with undeniable ferocity, and that feeling is pure, unadulterated rage,” she said onstage in the Beverly Hilton’s opulent ballroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
But more than that, I had a feeling that going to see The Chicks on this night, of all nights, might mean witnessing the greatest display of “libbing out” in U.S. history.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
"The mornings have already started feeling stuffy. It will get worse in the coming days, so it's better to be prepared," says the 43-year-old teacher.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
That anxiety, in turn, lowered their reported expectations of finding another job, and increased their feeling of being stuck in their current job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
And then, feeling perhaps that he had underlined his victory sufficiently, sauntered out into the empty streets.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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