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Synonyms

feeler

American  
[fee-ler] / ˈfi lər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that feels.

  2. 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.

  3. Zoology. an organ of touch, as an antenna or a tentacle.

  4. Also called feeler gauge.  Engineering. a gauge having several blades of known thickness, used for measuring clearances.

  5. Nautical. a device for indicating that the lead of a mechanical sounding device has come to the bottom.

feeler British  
/ ˈfiːlə /

noun

  1. a person or thing that feels

  2. an organ in certain animals, such as an antenna or tentacle, that is sensitive to touch

  3. a remark designed to probe the reactions or intentions of other people

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
feeler Scientific  
/ fē′lər /

  1. A slender body part used for touching or sensing. The antennae of insects and the barbels of catfish are feelers.

feeler Idioms  

  1. see put out feelers.

Etymology

Origin of feeler

First recorded in 1520–30; feel + -er 1

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.

“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

“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

This idea never actually got broached with Bush directly, but there was a a feeler put out to his staff to see what they thought about it, and there was not a lot of interest.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2021

Temp, whose antennas had drooped down over his head, reached out and touched Gregor with a feeler.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

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.