fish for
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
Hemingway and Baker were friends and were on a multi-day boat trip sometime in the 1930s, fishing for giant tuna in the gulf stream.
—
Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 9 May 2026
For those who still rely on fishing for a living, every day is a struggle.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
There’s already a Lake George in Hammond where folks fish for bass.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Stanford Librarian Donald Kohrs says Quock Mui's brother, Quock Tuck Lee, and her son, Chin Yip, were the go-to collectors of rare fish for Hopkins' seaside laboratory and marine biologists like Ed Ricketts.
—Sharon Chin, CBS News, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for fish for
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Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 9 May 2026
For those who still rely on fishing for a living, every day is a struggle.
—NPR, 7 May 2026
There’s already a Lake George in Hammond where folks fish for bass.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Stanford Librarian Donald Kohrs says Quock Mui's brother, Quock Tuck Lee, and her son, Chin Yip, were the go-to collectors of rare fish for Hopkins' seaside laboratory and marine biologists like Ed Ricketts.
—Sharon Chin, CBS News, 1 May 2026
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 15 May. 2026.
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