feel
feel Lexical Profile
feel Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To experience a particular emotion, physical sensation, or state of mind or body.
"She began to feel much more confident after completing the training course."
To perceive, examine, or search for something by physical touch or contact.
"The doctor gently pressed the patient's neck to feel for swollen lymph nodes."
To become aware of or notice something through physical sensation or intuition.
"We could feel the floor vibrate as the freight train passed nearby."
To hold a belief, opinion, or conviction based on intuition or subjective impression rather than strict proof.
"Many committee members feel that the proposal needs further financial review."
To produce a particular physical sensation when touched or to give a specified overall impression.
"The lake water feels remarkably warm for this early in the spring."
• noun
An act of touching or examining something by touch to perceive its physical qualities.
"You can tell the fabric is pure silk just by the feel of it."
A vague or overall impression, atmosphere, or emotional quality evoked by a place, situation, or work.
"The renovated café has a warm, welcoming feel that attracts local students."
An intuitive aptitude, sensitivity, or natural knack for a particular skill or subject (usually used in 'a feel for').
"After a few weeks of practice, she developed a natural feel for steering the sailboat."
Word Nuance & Usage
When used as a linking verb to describe a subject's state, 'feel' takes a predicate adjective rather than an adverb (e.g., 'I feel bad' meaning sorry or unwell, whereas 'I feel badly' strictly means having an impaired sense of touch).
• Rhymes for feel
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'fēlan' (to touch, perceive, or sense), of West Germanic origin and related to Old High German 'fuolen' and Dutch 'voelen', ultimately tracing back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to strike softly' or 'palm of the hand'.