fish for
Idioms-
Try to obtain something through artifice or indirectly. For example, He was always fishing for compliments , or, as William Makepeace Thackeray put it in Vanity Fair (1848): “The first woman who fishes for him, hooks him.” [Mid-1500s]
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Search for something, as in I've fished for it in all the drawers . [First half of 1700s]
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.
As a result, these waters have been too dangerous to fish for months.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Parents may now be forced to choose between prison time and helping Hong Kong authorities fish for evidence to bring national-security charges against their children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
Many coastal communities in the region depend heavily on fish for food, income, and cultural practices, which raises concerns about the long-term effects of consuming contaminated seafood.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 3, 2026
Maybe it’s flaky white fish for tacos or beer-battered fish and chips; a cola- and honey-glazed ham that carries you through Sunday lunch and the week’s best sandwiches; impossibly crisp chicken thighs.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
Everybody knew it was bad luck to fish for the big carp that the summer floods washed downstream.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
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.
