feeler

American  

[fee-ler] / ˈfi lər /

noun

• feelers
  plural

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.

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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

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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.

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feeler Idioms  

1. see put out feelers.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• feelers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of feeler

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

feeler feelers

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

He is at once a just-the-facts lawman and a prodigious feeler of feelings, introspective about the size of his ego and incapable of suppressing it entirely.

From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2019

Each one is angry at the other for pulling his feeler off.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

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

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

“I put out some feelers, and to my astonishment, they said, ‘Yeah, come along,’ ” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024

“Well, I’ll put out some feelers for you.”

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

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