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
Top Activities: Bear watching at Brooks Falls: Watch brown bears fish for salmon.
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Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
To raise enough money to open the fast-food chain’s first location in 1996, Graves moved to California from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work 90-hour weeks in an oil refinery — and, later, fish for salmon in Alaska — according to the company’s website.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2024
Liao has been studying the physics of swimming fish for over a decade, but his most novel experimental approach is undoubtedly found in a 2006 paper on passive propulsion in vortex wakes.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024
The trout's recovery is due in no small part to the hard work of the White Mountain Apache tribe, whose wildlife managers kept close watch over populations of the fish for years.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fish for 
Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
To raise enough money to open the fast-food chain’s first location in 1996, Graves moved to California from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work 90-hour weeks in an oil refinery — and, later, fish for salmon in Alaska — according to the company’s website.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2024
Liao has been studying the physics of swimming fish for over a decade, but his most novel experimental approach is undoubtedly found in a 2006 paper on passive propulsion in vortex wakes.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024
The trout's recovery is due in no small part to the hard work of the White Mountain Apache tribe, whose wildlife managers kept close watch over populations of the fish for years.
—Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 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 22 Oct. 2024.
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