feeler
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that feels.
-
a proposal, remark, hint, etc., designed to bring out the opinions or purposes of others.
Interested in an accord, both labor and management were putting out feelers.
-
Zoology. an organ of touch, as an antenna or a tentacle.
-
Also called feeler gauge. Engineering. a gauge having several blades of known thickness, used for measuring clearances.
-
Nautical. a device for indicating that the lead of a mechanical sounding device has come to the bottom.
noun
-
a person or thing that feels
-
an organ in certain animals, such as an antenna or tentacle, that is sensitive to touch
-
a remark designed to probe the reactions or intentions of other people
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of feeler
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:
“Putting out a feeler in a noncrisis situation to see what kind of reactions you get is a really valuable thing,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
Last year, the British dance musician known as Fred Again.. put out a feeler to the Nashville-based alt-rock band Rainbow Kitten Surprise about a possible collaboration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
He is a feeler and someone who’s trying to stop himself from feeling.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2023
“It’s always so exciting when you see someone with such incredible talent and screen presence who then is also such a deep thinker and feeler as a person,” Lister-Jones said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2021
The wasp still clung with one black feeler to the edge of the pew.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Elephants are born with about 1,000 of these bristles, lead author Andrew Schulz told AFP, many of them anchored in the trunk's wrinkles to act like feelers and help the animals assess their surroundings.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
It put out feelers, including to Aberdeen University's zoology department and museums.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
Finally, she’s put out feelers to those with private planes, even offering to provide a free solo concert in return for a flight to Wichita.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 8, 2025
I’ve been putting out feelers and things like that.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2025
It would be hard to get his mind past the little legs and shells and feelers and actually swallow a mouthful of krill.
From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen
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.
