Adjacent Words

Feel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FEEL, v.t. pret. and pp. felt. [L. palpo. the primary sense is to touch, to pat, to strike gently, or to press, as is evident from the L. palpito, and other derivatives of palp. If so, the word seems to be allied to L. pello.]
1. To perceive by the touch; to have sensation excited by contact of a thing with the body or limbs.
Suffer me that I may feel the pillars. Judges 16.
Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son.
Genesis 27.
2. To have the sense of; to suffer or enjoy; as, to feel pain; to feel pleasure.
3. To experience; to suffer.
Whoso keepeth the commandments shall feel no evil thing. Ecclesiastes 8.
4. To be affected by; to perceive mentally; as, to feel grief or woe.
Would I had never trod this English earth, or felt the flatteies that grow upon it.
5. To know; to be acquainted with; to have a real and just view of.
For then, and not till then, he felt himself.
6. To touch; to handle; with or without of.
Feel this piece of silk, or feel of it.
To feel, or to feel out, is to try; to sound; to search for; to explore; as, to feel or feel out one's opinions or designs.
To feel after, to search for; to seek to find; to seek as a person groping in the dark.
If haply they might feel after him, and find him. Acts 18.
FEEL, v.i.
1. To have perception by the touch, or by the contact of any substance with the body.
2. To have the sensibility or the passions moved or excited. The good man feels for the woes of others.
3. To give perception; to excite sensation.
Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth.
So, we say, a thing feels soft or hard, or it feels hot or cold.
4. To have perception mentally; as, to feel hurt; to feel grieved; to feel unwilling.
FEEL, n. The sense of feeling, or the perception caused by the touch. The difference of tumors may be ascertained by the feel. Argillaceous stones may sometimes be known by the feel. [In America, feeling is more generally used; but the use of feel is not uncommon.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an intuitive awareness; "he has a feel for animals" or "it's easy when you get the feel of it";
2: the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people; "the feel of the city excited him"; "a clergyman improved the tone of the meeting"; "it had the smell of treason" [syn: spirit, tone, feel, feeling, flavor, flavour, look, smell]
3: a property perceived by touch [syn: tactile property, feel]
4: manual stimulation of the genital area for sexual pleasure; "the girls hated it when he tried to sneak a feel" v
1: undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind; "She felt resentful"; "He felt regret" [syn: feel, experience]
2: come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds; "I feel that he doesn't like me"; "I find him to be obnoxious"; "I found the movie rather entertaining" [syn: find, feel]
3: perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles; "He felt the wind"; "She felt an object brushing her arm"; "He felt his flesh crawl"; "She felt the heat when she got out of the car" [syn: feel, sense]
4: be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state; "My cold is gone--I feel fine today"; "She felt tired after the long hike"; "She felt sad after her loss"
5: have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude; "She felt small and insignificant"; "You make me feel naked"; "I made the students feel different about themselves"
6: undergo passive experience of:"We felt the effects of inflation"; "her fingers felt their way through the string quartet"; "she felt his contempt of her"
7: be felt or perceived in a certain way; "The ground feels shaky"; "The sheets feel soft"
8: grope or feel in search of something; "He felt for his wallet"
9: examine by touch; "Feel this soft cloth!"; "The customer fingered the sweater" [syn: feel, finger]
10: examine (a body part) by palpation; "The nurse palpated the patient's stomach"; "The runner felt her pulse" [syn: palpate, feel]
11: find by testing or cautious exploration; "He felt his way around the dark room"
12: produce a certain impression; "It feels nice to be home again"
13: pass one's hands over the sexual organs of; "He felt the girl in the movie theater"

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (felt; feeling) Etymology: Middle English felen, from Old English f?lan; akin to Old High German fuolen to feel, Latin palpare to caress Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to handle or touch in order to examine, test, or explore some quality b. to perceive by a physical sensation coming from discrete end organs (as of the skin or muscles) 2. a. to undergo passive experience of b. to have one's sensibilities markedly affected by 3. to ascertain by cautious trial — usually used with out 4. a. to be aware of by instinct or inference b. believe, think <say what you really feel> intransitive verb 1. a. to receive or be able to receive a tactile sensation b. to search for something by using the sense of touch 2. a. to be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, or physical condition b. to have a marked sentiment or opinion <feels strongly about it> 3. seem <it feels like spring today> 4. to have sympathy or pity <I feel for you> II. noun Date: 13th century 1. sensation, feeling 2. the sense of touch 3. a. the quality of a thing as imparted through or as if through touch b. typical or peculiar quality or atmosphere; also an awareness of such a quality or atmosphere 4. intuitive knowledge or ability

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (past and past part. felt) 1 tr. a examine or search by touch. b (absol.) have the sensation of touch (was unable to feel). 2 tr. perceive or ascertain by touch; have a sensation of (could feel the warmth; felt that it was cold). 3 tr. a undergo, experience (shall feel my anger). b exhibit or be conscious of (an emotion, sensation, conviction, etc.). 4 a intr. have a specified feeling or reaction (felt strongly about it). b tr. be emotionally affected by (felt the rebuke deeply). 5 tr. (foll. by that + clause) have a vague or unreasoned impression (I feel that I am right). 6 tr. consider, think (I feel it useful to go). 7 intr. seem; give an impression of being; be perceived as (the air feels chilly). 8 intr. be consciously; consider oneself (I feel happy; do not feel well). 9 intr. a (foll. by with) have sympathy with. b (foll. by for) have pity or compassion for. 10 tr. (often foll. by up) sl. fondle the genitals of. --n. 1 the act or an instance of feeling; testing by touch. 2 the sensation characterizing a material, situation, etc. 3 the sense of touch. Phrases and idioms: feel free (often foll. by to + infin.) not be reluctant or hesitant (do feel free to criticize). feel like have a wish for; be inclined towards. feel one's oats see OAT. feel oneself be fit or confident etc. feel out investigate cautiously. feel strange see STRANGE. feel up to be ready to face or deal with. feel one's way proceed carefully; act cautiously. get the feel of become accustomed to using. make one's influence (or presence etc.) felt assert one's influence; make others aware of one's presence etc. Etymology: OE felan f. WG

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feel Feel, n. 1. Feeling; perception. [R.] To intercept and have a more kindly feel of its genial warmth. --Hazlitt. 2. A sensation communicated by touching; impression made upon one who touches or handles; as, this leather has a greasy feel. The difference between these two tumors will be distinguished by the feel. --S. Sharp.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feel Feel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felt; p. pr. & vb. n. Feeling.] [AS. f?lan; akin to OS. gif?lian to perceive, D. voelen to feel, OHG. fuolen, G. f["u]hlen, Icel. f[=a]lma to grope, and prob. to AS. folm paim of the hand, L. palma. Cf. Fumble, Palm.] 1. To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body, especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs. Who feel Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel. --Creecn. 2. To touch; to handle; to examine by touching; as, feel this piece of silk; hence, to make trial of; to test; often with out. Come near, . . . that I may feel thee, my son. --Gen. xxvii. 21. He hath this to feel my affection to your honor. --Shak. 3. To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or sensetive to; as, to feel pleasure; to feel pain. Teach me to feel another's woe. --Pope. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing. --Eccl. viii. 5. He best can paint them who shall feel them most. --Pope. Mankind have felt their strength and made it felt. --Byron. 4. To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to have an inward persuasion of. For then, and not till then, he felt himself. --Shak. 5. To perceive; to observe. [Obs.] --Chaucer. To feel the helm (Naut.), to obey it.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feel Feel, v. i. 1. To have perception by the touch, or by contact of anything with the nerves of sensation, especially those upon the surface of the body. 2. To have the sensibilities moved or affected. [She] feels with the dignity of a Roman matron. --Burke. And mine as man, who feel for all mankind. --Pope. 3. To be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, persuasion, physical condition, etc.; to perceive one's self to be; -- followed by an adjective describing the state, etc.; as, to feel assured, grieved, persuaded. I then did feel full sick. --Shak. 4. To know with feeling; to be conscious; hence, to know certainly or without misgiving. Garlands . . . which I feel I am not worthy yet to wear. --Shak. 5. To appear to the touch; to give a perception; to produce an impression by the nerves of sensation; -- followed by an adjective describing the kind of sensation. Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth. --Dryden. To feel after, to search for; to seek to find; to seek as a person groping in the dark. ``If haply they might feel after him, and find him.'' --Acts xvii. 27. To feel of, to examine by touching.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(feels, feeling, felt) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you feel a particular emotion or physical sensation, you experience it. I am feeling very depressed... I will always feel grateful to that little guy... I remember feeling sick... Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder... You won't feel a thing... I felt as if all my strength had gone... I felt like I was being kicked in the teeth every day. V-LINK: V adj, V adj, V adj, V n, V n, V as if, V like 2. If you talk about how an experience or event feels, you talk about the emotions and sensations connected with it. It feels good to have finished a piece of work... The speed at which everything moved felt strange... Within five minutes of arriving back from holiday, it feels as if I've never been away... It felt like I'd had two babies instead of one... V-LINK: no cont, it V adj to-inf/that, V adj, it V as if, it V like 3. If you talk about how an object feels, you talk about the physical quality that you notice when you touch or hold it. For example, if something feels soft, you notice that it is soft when you touch it. The metal felt smooth and cold... The ten-foot oars felt heavy and awkward... When the clay feels like putty, it is ready to use. V-LINK: no cont, V adj, V adj, V like n • Feel is also a noun. He remembered the feel of her skin... Linen raincoats have a crisp, papery feel. N-SING: usu with supp 4. If you talk about how the weather feels, you describe the weather, especially the temperature or whether or not you think it is going to rain or snow. It felt wintry cold that day. V-LINK: no cont, it V adj, also it V like/as if 5. If you feel an object, you touch it deliberately with your hand, so that you learn what it is like, for example what shape it is or whether it is rough or smooth. The doctor felt his head... When dry, feel the surface and it will no longer be smooth... Feel how soft the skin is in the small of the back... Her eyes squeezed shut, she felt inside the tin, expecting it to be bare. VERB: V n, V n, V wh, V prep/adv 6. If you can feel something, you are aware of it because it is touching you. Through several layers of clothes I could feel his muscles... He felt her leg against his. VERB: no cont, V n, V n prep/adv 7. If you feel something happening, you become aware of it because of the effect it has on your body. She felt something being pressed into her hands... He felt something move beside him... She felt herself lifted from her feet... Tremors were felt 250 miles away. VERB: V n -ing, V n inf, V pron-refl -ed, be V-ed 8. If you feel yourself doing something or being in a particular state, you are aware that something is happening to you which you are unable to control. I felt myself blush... If at any point you feel yourself becoming tense, make a conscious effort to relax... I actually felt my heart quicken. VERB: V pron-refl inf, V pron-refl -ing, V n inf, also V n -ing 9. If you feel the presence of someone or something, you become aware of them, even though you cannot see or hear them. He felt her eyes on him... Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me... I could feel that a man was watching me very intensely... He almost felt her wincing at the other end of the telephone. = sense VERB: no cont, V n, V n, V that, V n -ing 10. If you feel that something is the case, you have a strong idea in your mind that it is the case. I feel that not enough is being done to protect the local animal life... I feel certain that it will all turn out well... She felt herself to be part of a large business empire... I never felt myself a real child of the sixties. VERB: no cont, V that, V adj that, V n to-inf, V pron-refl n 11. If you feel that you should do something, you think that you should do it. I feel I should resign... He felt that he had to do it... You need not feel obliged to contribute... They felt under no obligation to maintain their employees. VERB: no cont, V that, V that, V -ed to-inf, V under n 12. If you talk about how you feel about something, you talk about your opinion, attitude, or reaction to it. We'd like to know what you feel about abortion... She feels guilty about spending less time lately with her two kids... He feels deep regret about his friend's death. VERB: no cont, V about n, V adj/adv about n, V n about n 13. If you feel like doing something or having something, you want to do it or have it because you are in the right mood for it and think you would enjoy it. Neither of them felt like going back to sleep... Could we take a walk? I feel like a little exercise. VERB: V like -ing/n, V like -ing/n 14. If you feel the effect or result of something, you experience it. The charity is still feeling the effects of revelations about its one-time president... The real impact will be felt in the developing world. VERB: V n, V n 15. The feel of something, for example a place, is the general impression that it gives you. The room has a warm, cosy feel. N-SING: with supp • If you get the feel of something, for example a place or a new activity, you become familiar with it. He wanted to get the feel of the place. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 16. feel free: see free see also feeling, felt

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Perceive (by the touch), have feeling. 2. Be perceived (by the touch). 3. Be moved (in the affections), be excited, be stirred, be warmed, be wrought up, be impressed. 4. Have the consciousness of being, be conscious of being (sorry, grieved, hurt, or the like). II. v. a. 1. Touch, handle, feel of. 2. Experience, suffer, or enjoy, have the sense of. 3. Be affected by, be moved by. 4. Sound, try, prove, put to the test.

Moby Thesaurus

abide, air, ambience, appear, appear like, appreciation, appreciation of differences, appreciativeness, apprehend, art, artistic judgment, assume, atmosphere, aura, be, be afraid, be aware of, be conscious of, be exposed to, be sensible of, be sorry for, be subjected to, bear, believe, bleed for, breath, brook, brush, caress, climate, come in contact, conceive, conclude, conjecture, connoisseurship, consider, contact, crave, credit, critical niceness, criticalness, cutaneous sense, daresay, deduce, deem, delicacy, desire, determine, discern, discriminating taste, discriminatingness, discrimination, discriminativeness, divine, dream, empathize with, encounter, endure, esteem, expect, experience, explore, fancy, fastidiousness, feel deeply, feel for, feel intuitively, feel of, feeling, fine palate, finesse, finger, fingertip caress, finish, flick, fondle, fumble, gather, glance, go through, grabble, grain, grant, granular texture, graze, grope, guess, hand-mindedness, handle, hang, have, have a feeling, have a hunch, have a sensation, have the impression, hear, hold, imagine, indentation, infer, intuit, judge, judiciousness, just know, kiss, knack, know, knub, labor under, lambency, lap, let, let be, lick, light touch, look, look like, making distinctions, manipulate, meet, meet up with, meet with, milieu, mood, nap, niceness of distinction, nicety, note, notice, nub, observe, opine, overtone, palate, palm, palpate, pass through, paw, pay, perceive, pet, pile, pit, pity, ply, pock, poke at, prefer, prefigure, presume, presuppose, presurmise, prod, protuberance, provisionally accept, quality, quick look, receive an impression, reckon, refined discrimination, refined palate, refinement, repute, respond, respond to stimuli, rub, run up against, savor, say, see, seem, seem like, seem to be, selectiveness, semblance, sensation, sense, sense of touch, sensibility, sensitivity, shag, smell, sound, sound like, spend, spirit, stand, stand under, stroke, structure, subtlety, suffer, suppose, surface, surface texture, surmise, suspect, sustain, sympathize with, tact, tactfulness, tactile sense, tactility, taction, take, take for, take for granted, take it, take to be, tap, taste, tentative examination, tentative poke, texture, think, thumb, tolerate, tone, touch, trick, twiddle, undergo, understand, undertone, wale, want, way, weave, whisper, wield, withstand, woof