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

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Come the second period, the Panthers had scored three goals and the game felt out of reach for the Leafs. Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 15 May 2025 Maybe 50:1 is reasonable, or even 20:1 like in the old days – but 100:1 feels out of whack. Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025 For instance, adding a bright yellow-tone brass into a space dominated by cooler metals could feel out of place. Eleni N. Gage, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2025 Growing up in spaces where a young Black girl was not the standard of beauty, Wilson often felt out of place when practicing her beauty rituals, such as wrapping your hair at night, in mixed company. Cierra Black, Essence, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for feel out

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Cite this Entry

“Feel out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feel%20out. Accessed 21 May. 2025.

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