feel out
phrasal verb
felt out; feeling out; feels out
: to talk to or question (someone) in an indirect way in order to find out if something one wants to do or get will be possible
He tried to feel us out to see if we'd loan him more money.
Examples of feel out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many couples discussed generosity as one of their core relationship values, and giving selflessly to their partners and offering assistance to each other when feeling out of balance.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
The couple arrived in Manhattan in 2018 and tried short-term rentals to feel out different neighborhoods.
—Alena Cerro, New York Times, 19 June 2025
One, the team needed to feel out the horses, a loaner squad of Kazakh animals trained for the game.
—Will Grant, Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Most people blame soaring travel costs for making vacations feel out of reach.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for feel out
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Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
The couple arrived in Manhattan in 2018 and tried short-term rentals to feel out different neighborhoods.
—Alena Cerro, New York Times, 19 June 2025
One, the team needed to feel out the horses, a loaner squad of Kazakh animals trained for the game.
—Will Grant, Outside Online, 11 June 2025
Most people blame soaring travel costs for making vacations feel out of reach.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for feel out
Cite this Entry
“Feel out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feel%20out. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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