feel for
Idioms-
Grope, reach for with one's hands, as in It was pitch dark, and I felt for the doorknob . [Early 1700s]
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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.
“We are actors because we feel for them, but we have to be at their speed.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
You develop a feel for probability that you can’t get from doing equations.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
Even critics conceded that Banerjee possessed an instinctive feel for the emotional grammar of her electorate.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
To get a feel for all the potential volatility, let’s first look at the Fed.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Stepping onto the dark landing, I feel for the light switch, but they turn on a second after the door closes behind me.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
