Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To perceive through the sense of touch.
  • intransitive verb To perceive as a physical sensation.
  • intransitive verb To touch.
  • intransitive verb To examine by touching: synonym: touch.
  • intransitive verb To test or explore with caution.
  • intransitive verb To undergo the experience of.
  • intransitive verb To be aware of; sense.
  • intransitive verb To be emotionally affected by.
  • intransitive verb To be persuaded of (something) on the basis of intuition, emotion, or other indefinite grounds.
  • intransitive verb To believe; think.
  • intransitive verb To experience the sensation of touch.
  • intransitive verb To produce a particular sensation, especially through the sense of touch.
  • intransitive verb To produce a particular impression; appear to be; seem.
  • intransitive verb To be conscious of a specified kind or quality of physical, mental, or emotional state.
  • intransitive verb To seek or explore something by the sense of touch.
  • intransitive verb To have compassion or sympathy.
  • noun Perception by touch or by sensation of the skin.
  • noun The sense of touch.
  • noun An act or instance of touching or feeling.
  • noun Vulgar An act or instance of sexual touching or fondling.
  • noun An overall impression or effect.
  • noun Intuitive awareness or natural ability.
  • idiom (feel in (one's) bones) To have an intuition of.
  • idiom (feel like) To have an inclination or desire for.
  • idiom (feel like (oneself)) To sense oneself as being in one's normal state of health or spirits.
  • idiom (feel (one's) oats) To be energetic and playful.
  • idiom (feel (one's) oats) To act in a self-important manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Much.
  • noun The sense or a sensation of touch.
  • noun A sensation of any kind, or a vague mental impression or feeling.
  • noun That quality in an object by which it appeals to the sense of touch.
  • Much; many.
  • To have a sensation or sense-perception of. Specifically
  • To be or become aware of through material action upon any nerves of sensation other than those of sight, hearing, taste, and smell; have a sensation (other than those of the above-mentioned senses) of: as, to feel the cold; to feel a lump in the throat (through involuntary closure); to feel an inclination to cough. [The application of the word to the normal action of the higher senses is obsolete, except in the abstract meaning of perceiving by means of sensation in general: as, the higher animals feel light, heat, sound, etc. See def. 2.]
  • To perceive by the sense of smell; smell.
  • To have a perception of (some external or internal condition of things) through a more or less complex mental state involving vague sensation: as, to feel the floor sinking; to feel one's mind becoming confused; to feel the approach of age.
  • In general, to perceive or have a mental sense of; be conscious of; have a distinct or indistinct perception or mental impression of: as, to feel pleasure or pain; to feel the beauty of a landscape.
  • To regard with feeling or emotion; be aroused to feeling (especially disagreeable feeling) by: as, he felt his disgrace keenly.
  • Reflexively, to have a sensation, feeling, perception, or impression concerning; perceive clearly to be.
  • To try by touch; examine by touching with the hands or otherwise; test by contact: as, to feel a piece of cloth; to feel the ground with the feet; a blind man feels his way with a stick.
  • Hence To make trial of in any way; test carefully or cautiously: as, to feel one's way in an undertaking; to feel the market by a small venture.
  • To have experience of; suffer under: as, to feel the vengeance of an enemy.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan; see pāl- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English feele, fele, feole, from Old English fela, feala, feolo ("much, many"), from Proto-Germanic *felu (“very, much”), from Proto-Indo-European *pélu- (“many”). Cognate with Scots fele ("much, many, great"), Dutch veel ("much, many"), German viel ("much, many"), Latin plūs ("more"), Ancient Greek πολύς (polýs, "many"). Related to full.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan ("to feel, perceive, touch"), from Proto-Germanic *fōlijanan (“to taste, feel”), from Proto-Indo-European *pelem-, *pal- (“to swing, shake”). Cognate with Scots fele ("to feel"), West Frisian fiele ("to sense, feel"), Dutch voelen ("to feel"), Low German fölen ("to feel"), German fühlen ("to feel"), Danish føle ("to feel"), Latin palpō ("touch, feel, caress, pat"), Ancient Greek πάλλω (pállō, "swing, shake, shake loose").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word feel.

Examples

  • As a doctor, with his finger against a pulse, is able to feel the heart rate, when I am up there speaking, I can _feel_ the reaction to what I am saying.

    The Autobiography of Malcolm X X, Malcolm, 1925-1965 1964

  • Sisters in Christ I feel an interest in _you_, and often has the secret prayer arisen on your behalf, Lord "open thou their eyes that they may see wondrous things out of thy Law" -- It is then, because I _do feel_ and _do pray_ for you, that

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 1 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society

  • Sisters in Christ I feel an interest in _you_, and often has the secret prayer arisen on your behalf, Lord "open thou their eyes that they may see wondrous things out of thy Law" -- It is then, because I _do feel_ and _do pray_ for you, that

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society

  • Sisters in Christ I feel an interest in _you_, and often has the secret prayer arisen on your behalf, Lord "open thou their eyes that they may see wondrous things out of thy Law" -- It is then, because I _do feel_ and _do pray_ for you, that

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Omnibus American Anti-Slavery Society

  • Sisters in Christ I feel an interest in _you_, and often has the secret prayer arisen on your behalf, Lord "open thou their eyes that they may see wondrous things out of thy Law" -- It is then, because I _do feel_ and _do pray_ for you, that

    The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 1 of 4 American Anti-Slavery Society

  • And while we believe that such efforts are praiseworthy for the reason that many persons must be first convinced in that way, still we feel that one must really _feel_ the truth of the doctrine from something within his own consciousness, before he will really _believe_ it to be truth.

    A Series of Lessons in Gnani Yoga William Walker Atkinson 1897

  • I feel thankful for your praise of my conduct; all is going on well, but it would be needless to attempt to deny that I _feel_ the _change_, and

    The Letters of Queen Victoria, Volume 1 (of 3), 1837-1843) A Selection from Her Majesty's Correspondence Between the Years 1837 and 1861 Queen of Great Britain Victoria 1860

  • You will love the charm and rustic feel of this 2 family town house style with a single family \ "feel\". on almost 2 acres of land. 3 outbuildings including Large horse barn and sheds.

    Random feeds from Syndic8.com 2009

  • I'm sorry you feel shitty, and I'm sure that the warmth of strangers is no help at all, but as a reader I * feel* like I know you, and consequently care about you.

    Random Acts Of Reality 2009

  • (as you wish to be chained), chain you, rivet you -- do you feel how the little fine chain twists round and round you? do you hear the stroke of the riveting? and you may _feel that_ too.

    The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 Robert Browning 1850

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.