feel for

phrasal verb

felt for; feeling for; feels for
1
: to search for (something) by reaching or touching usually with the fingers
The doctor felt for any possible fractures in the patient's bruised ribs.
He felt for the light switch.
2
: to have sympathy or pity for (someone)
I feel (deeply) for you, but there's nothing I can do to help.

Examples of feel for in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While most of the Covid-19 pandemic occurred from March, 2020 to May, 2023, the worst of its effects on college enrollments and funding were felt for about two years. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025 Good-natured Ben, in the throes of a panicky uncertainty that from the outside is sweetly poignant, if only because it will be gone in a year or a month or a minute, feels for Eli’s predicament— possibly more than the quite contentedly peculiar Eli does for himself. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2025 The hiring of 15,000 new teachers will cause a pension multiplier that will be felt for generations to come and that will be paid for by the citizens of this state. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2025 People genuinely feel for the guy, and not in some obligatory, performative, thoughts-and-prayers kind of way. Steve Buckley, New York Times, 14 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for feel for

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Cite this Entry

“Feel for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feel%20for. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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