feeler

[ fee-ler ]

noun

1. a person or thing that feels.
2. a proposal, remark, hint, etc., designed to bring out the opinions or purposes of others:

   Interested in an accord, both labor and management were putting out feelers.

3. Zoology. an organ of touch, as an antenna or a tentacle.
4. Also called feel·er gauge [fee, -ler geyj]. Engineering. a gauge having several blades of known thickness, used for measuring clearances.
5. Nautical. a device for indicating that the lead of a mechanical sounding device has come to the bottom.

feeler

/ ˈfiːlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that feels
2. an organ in certain animals, such as an antenna or tentacle, that is sensitive to touch
3. a remark designed to probe the reactions or intentions of other people

feeler

/ fē′lər /

1. A slender body part used for touching or sensing. The antennae of insects and the barbels of catfish are feelers.

Word History and Origins

Origin of feeler¹

First recorded in 1520–30; feel + -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see put out feelers .

Example Sentences

“I put out some feelers, and to my astonishment, they said, ‘Yeah, come along,’ ” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Anyone interested in being nominated now has a small window to garner such support — and is probably already putting feelers out to delegates.

From Los Angeles Times

He also hopes to get the band on board, and has put out feelers.

From BBC

We put a feeler out to see whether he was interested.

From Salon

After initially coming to Cohen’s defense, Trump washed his hands of his fixer within weeks, brushing aside Cohen’s feelers about a pardon and disavowing his legal bills.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• overture