fish for

Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Search for something, as in I've fished for it in all the drawers . [First half of 1700s]

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Example Sentences

He said Beckstrom loved to hunt and fish for bass and bluegill and ride four-wheelers on trails through the mountains.

From The Wall Street Journal

The chimp she later named David Graybeard had been using the stalk to fish for the bugs.

From Los Angeles Times

It is about "finding that balance", he continued, noting how many people still rely on animals and fish for food.

From BBC

“Everything was consistent, except that the boat kept going and crossed the salmon grounds,” Brown said, indicating he never stopped to fish for salmon.

From Los Angeles Times

Kawahara had planned to fish for tuna near Oregon, Brown said, and then planned to fish for salmon.

From Los Angeles Times