feel for
Idioms-
Grope, reach for with one's hands, as in It was pitch dark, and I felt for the doorknob . [Early 1700s]
-
feel for someone . Sympathize with or feel sorry for someone, as in Tom was so upset that I felt for him . This usage was put as feel with by Shakespeare: “It resounds as if it felt with Scotland” ( Macbeth , 4:3). Both senses of feel for are present in the somewhat sarcastic I feel for you but I can't quite reach you , meaning “Too bad, but I don't really feel sorry for you.”
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.
“Even just this right here, you’re talking about over 125 plate appearances that you’re missing out on, and also opportunities to catch major league innings. So I feel for Dalton.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Oh yes, and drummer Charlie Watts, whose feel for groove helped define the group’s sound, died in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Roberts said while they already "had a feel for the island", the "step up" had been "quite big".
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
“We are actors because we feel for them, but we have to be at their speed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Her hands shook as she first pressed a flat palm to his chest to feel for a pulse, then held up his wrist to check again.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
