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
With the exception of a few items coming from Mexico, Twilegar sources nearly all of his fish for the restaurants from Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, 598 Harbor Lane.
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Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
Right now, the emphasis is on gathering enough data to nominate the fish for legal protection.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
Smith said anglers with more flexible schedules fish for tarpon whenever the moon is rising, which could be in the middle of the night.
—Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
MacLean fished for the puck Blackwood, and appeared to push the goaltender’s pad out of the way with his stick.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fish for
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Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2025
Right now, the emphasis is on gathering enough data to nominate the fish for legal protection.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
Smith said anglers with more flexible schedules fish for tarpon whenever the moon is rising, which could be in the middle of the night.
—Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
MacLean fished for the puck Blackwood, and appeared to push the goaltender’s pad out of the way with his stick.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fish for
Cite this Entry
“Fish for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20for. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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