fish for
phrasal verb
fished for; fishing for; fishes for
: to ask for or try to get (something, such as praise or attention) in an indirect way
I think he offers apologies for his cooking as a way of fishing for compliments.
fishing for answers
Examples of fish for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Raffy Castro, 22, was fishing for bass from a dock over the Clinton River on Monday afternoon.
—
Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2024
It was also heavily fished for its liver in the 1930s and 1940s, when shark liver oil was a popular way to supplement vitamin A in the diet.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2024
The hundred million we are estimated to kill may be an undercount: they are fished for shark-fin soup, for shark-liver oil, for cartilage to be transformed into neat little capsules of supplements.
—Katherine Rundell, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
There are miles of trails for mountain biking and hiking (Crow Creek Trail to Hidden Falls is one of the most popular hiking routes) and three reservoirs for those interested in fishing for brown trout, rainbow trout, or kokanee salmon.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fish for 
Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2024
It was also heavily fished for its liver in the 1930s and 1940s, when shark liver oil was a popular way to supplement vitamin A in the diet.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2024
The hundred million we are estimated to kill may be an undercount: they are fished for shark-fin soup, for shark-liver oil, for cartilage to be transformed into neat little capsules of supplements.
—Katherine Rundell, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
There are miles of trails for mountain biking and hiking (Crow Creek Trail to Hidden Falls is one of the most popular hiking routes) and three reservoirs for those interested in fishing for brown trout, rainbow trout, or kokanee salmon.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fish for
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fish for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Fish for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20for. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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