I. ˈfēl, esp before pause or consonant -ēəl verb
( felt ˈfelt ; felt ; feeling ; feels )
Etymology: Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan; akin to Old High German fuolen to feel, Old Norse fālma to fumble, grope, Latin palpare to caress, and perhaps to Greek pallein to shake, brandish — more at polemic
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to perceive by tactile, muscular, integumental, or other sensation excited by some physical stimulus : be aware of especially on contact in the body or limbs
feel a sharp blow
feel a cold draft
felt a sudden pain
after an hour of climbing we began to feel fatigue
(2) archaic : to perceive by smell or taste
b.
(1) : touch , handle
felt the coat to see if it was wet
(2) slang : to feel up
c. : to examine or explore by such methods as touching, lifting, or sounding : make a trial of : test by touching, lifting, or sounding
felt the rock to see how heavy it was
2.
a. : to experience or undergo passively : endure without taking any positive action against
feel inconvenience at having to stay overnight
continually felt the resentment of his competitors
though I was tired I felt the music with more pleasure now — Chandler Brossard
b. : to be conscious of (a subjective state)
feel pleasure in her company
feel a strong sense of our own importance
felt a mild inclination to cry — T.B.Costain
c. : to suffer from : have one's sensibilities markedly affected by
feel the insult deeply
feel his son's ingratitude as if it were a wound
d. : to experience the special or typical effect of (as a subjective experience)
feel the judge's wrath
: experience the intoxicating effect of (as an alcoholic drink)
drank for a long time before they began to feel the liquor
: experience the emotional force of
young conductors don't bother much anymore to feel music — Virgil Thomson
3.
a. : to find out by or as if by the tactile sense — used with a clause as object
feel if any bones had been broken
feel how the tiller worked
b. : to ascertain (as a man's attitude) by cautious trial : sound out
by diplomatic query tried to feel the sentiments of the neighborhood
: discover by careful and tentative investigatory methods
when the architects designed their first building they were clearly feeling their way
— often used with out
feeling out the sentiments of their neighbors on the subject of school improvements
4.
a. : to be aware of (something objective) by instinct or inference rather than through actual experience or sensation
feel the presence of an intruder in the room
feel trouble brewing
b. : to be persuaded or convinced of emotionally rather than intellectually : believe especially on indefinite grounds
felt that the move would be unwise although she could give no positive reason
felt that what he said was probably true
c. : believe , think , hold — now used with a clause as object
they felt that their own argument was as sound as that of their opponents
I am a reader, so I feel I have a right to criticize authors — Alice Hamilton
we feel that he should retire
intransitive verb
1. : to receive or be able to receive a tactile sensation : perceive by touching or making contact
lost all ability to feel in his fingertips
2.
a. : to search for something or guide oneself using the sense of touch especially in the fingers : grope
she felt in her purse for her keys
felt along the wall in the dark for an opening
felt under the table with his foot for the spoon he had dropped
b. : to seek or search out with caution or uncertainty
went quietly through the woods feeling for the enemy
began to explain at random while feeling for an excuse
c. : to find by trial and error
in the absence of a book of instructions we had to feel for the best way to rig the mechanism
3. : to manifest itself to the tactile sense or to physical sensation — usually used with a specifying adjective
it feels cold outside
how it feels to be hungry
4.
a. : to have sympathy or pity
capable of feeling for the poverty stricken and underfed
b. : to achieve or experience aesthetic identification
we feel for the hero who is in danger … and we unconsciously desire to realize the escape — John Erskine †1951
5.
a. : to be conscious of an inward particular impression, state of mind or feeling, or physical condition : perceive oneself to be
feel assured
feel friendly
feel sick
feel in a happy frame of mind
feel bad
feel good
b. : to have a marked sentiment or opinion pro or con
feel strongly about the disposition of school funds
6. : to react emotionally or instinctively rather than as a result of rational or meditative analysis
a man who feels but seldom thinks
•
- feel in one's bones
- feel like
- feel no pain
- feel of
- feel one's oats
- feel the helm
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English fele, from felen to feel — more at feel I
1.
a. : the sense of touch
a blanket soft to the feel
b.
(1) : an instance or opportunity of feeling by touching
took a feel of the bump on his head
(2) slang : an instance or opportunity of feeling up
2. : experience , sensation , feeling
the feel of an insect's bite
the feel of joy
learned to relish the feel of power — A.W.Long
there was a feel of the train's being about to leave — Eudora Welty
3.
a. : the quality or properties of a thing as imparted or its typical quality or properties as recognized or determined through or as if through touch or handling
a greasy feel
testing the feel of the cloth
the warm feel of her flesh — Stuart Cloete
b. : typical or peculiar quality, air, or atmosphere
the house had the feel of a home
the place has the feel of an old English pub — James Cerruti
4.
a. : knack, facility, or skill often deriving from an innate ability — used with for
a good feel for the handling of planes
he will develop a feel for words which will help to make him articulate — National Catholic Educational Association Bulletin
these provincial companies have a feel for opera that you'll find nowhere else in the world — T.H.Fielding
b. : a quality (as in an art work) resulting from such knack, facility, or skill — used with for
a strong feel in the artist's work for balance and proportion
5. : an awareness of the spirit or temper of something or of its distinguishing or special qualities
the feel of the country
— often used with for
he has a sensitive feel for the vast reaches in which his particular war took place — James Michener
III.
Scotland
variant of fool
IV.
variant of feil