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.
Despite her age, Ryabov said, Polina shows advanced skills with the pottery wheel and has a good feel for the right thickness and balance of clay.
The ADF gap year programme has been in operation for more than a decade, with applicants offered the chance "get a feel for military life while enjoying unique experiences you can't find anywhere else".
From BBC
"It is just such a sad sad thing to happen on Christmas Day, you just feel for the families."
From BBC
"Things can get spoken about and blown-up pretty heavily. I feel for them, in a way. It can be tricky."
From BBC
She added: "I just feel for his family because they're victims as well, and I just feel gutted for them because they've got to go without their son now for however many years."
From BBC
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.
