I. feel 1 S1 W1 /fiːl/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle felt /felt/)
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ feel , ↑ feeling , feelings; verb : ↑ feel ; adjective : ↑ unfeeling ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: felan ]
1 . FEELING/EMOTION [linking verb, transitive] to experience a particular physical feeling or emotion:
Do you still feel hungry?
You can never tell what he’s feeling.
Stop exercising if you feel any pain.
feel fine/good/comfortable etc
I’m feeling a little better today.
Marie immediately felt guilty.
feel as if/as though
When his dad left, he felt as though his world had turned upside-down.
I felt like I’d really achieved something.
2 . NOTICE [transitive not in progressive] to notice something that is happening to you, especially something that is touching you:
She felt his warm breath on her cheek.
The earthquake was felt as far south as San Diego.
feel somebody/something do something
She felt his arms go round her.
feel yourself doing something
I felt myself blushing.
3 . FEEL SMOOTH/DRY ETC [linking verb] to give you a particular physical feeling, especially when you touch or hold something
feel smooth/cold/damp etc
Her hands felt rough.
The house felt hot and stuffy.
feel as if/as though
My leg feels as if it’s broken.
It’s nice fabric – it feels like velvet.
4 . FEEL GOOD/STRANGE/EXCITING ETC [linking verb] if a situation, event etc feels good, strange etc, that is the emotion or feeling that it gives you:
After twenty years, seeing him again felt very strange.
feel ... to be/do something
It felt wonderful to be wearing clean clothes again.
How does it feel to be 40?
It’s been a year since her daughter died, but to her, it still feels like yesterday.
5 . HAVE AN OPINION [transitive not usually in progressive] to have a particular opinion, especially one that is based on your feelings, not on facts
feel (that)
Some of the parents felt the school wasn’t doing enough about bullying.
feel about
How would you feel about working with Nicole for a while?
The experience of rape can change how a woman feels about her body.
feel sure/certain (=think that something is definitely true)
She felt sure she’d made the right decision.
6 . feel like (doing) something spoken to want to have something or do something:
He didn’t feel like going to work.
Do you feel like another drink?
7 . TOUCH [transitive] to touch something with your fingers to find out about it:
She felt his forehead. Perhaps he had a temperature.
Mum, feel this stone. Isn’t it smooth?
feel how hard/soft/rough etc something is
He could feel how damp his shirt was against his chest.
8 . feel around/on/in etc something (for something) to search for something with your fingers:
She felt in her bag for a pencil.
9 . feel the force/effects/benefits etc of something to experience the good or bad results of something:
The local economy is beginning to feel the effects of the recession.
10 . feel the need to do something to believe that you need to do something:
Children who can talk to their parents feel less need to try drugs.
11 . feel your way
a) to move carefully, with your hands out in front of you, because you cannot see properly:
Silently, she felt her way across the room.
b) to do things slowly and carefully, because you are not completely sure about a new situation
feel your way towards
The European Union is still feeling its way towards common policies.
12 . feel free spoken used to tell someone that they can do something if they want to:
‘Could I use your phone for a minute?’ ‘Feel free.’
feel free to do something
Please feel free to make suggestions.
13 . I know (just/exactly) how you feel spoken used to express sympathy with someone or with a remark they have just made:
I know how you feel, Mark, but maybe it’s better not to confront him.
14 . not feel yourself spoken to not feel as healthy or happy as usual:
I don’t know what’s wrong. I just don’t feel quite myself.
15 . feel your age to realize that you are not as young or active as you used to be:
Looking at his grandson made him really feel his age.
16 . feel the cold/heat to suffer because of cold or hot weather:
Old people tend to feel the cold more.
17 . feel a death/a loss etc to react very strongly to a bad event, especially someone’s death:
Susan felt her grandmother’s death more than the others.
feel for somebody phrasal verb
to feel sympathy for someone:
At the Center, the other mothers know what it’s like, and they really feel for you.
feel somebody ↔ out phrasal verb American English informal
to find out what someone’s opinions or feelings are, without asking them directly:
I thought I’d feel out some of my colleagues before the meeting.
feel somebody ↔ up phrasal verb informal
to touch someone sexually, without their permission
feel up to something phrasal verb [usually in questions and negatives] informal
to have the strength, energy etc to do something:
I just didn’t feel up to going.
II. feel 2 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ feel , ↑ feeling , feelings; verb : ↑ feel ; adjective : ↑ unfeeling ]
1 . [singular] a quality that something has that makes you feel or think a particular way about it:
Despite their age, the photographs have a modern feel.
feel about
The restaurant has a nice relaxed feel about it.
2 . [singular] the way that something feels when you touch it
feel of
I like the feel of this cloth.
a soft feathery feel
3 . have/get/give a feel for something informal to have or develop an understanding of something and skill in doing it:
exercises that give a child a feel for numbers
4 . [uncountable] when you use your hands, body etc to feel something SYN touch
by feel
She found the light switch by feel.