Here are 30 phrasal verbs with **feel**, each explained in detail with extended meanings and enhanced examples for better understanding:
1. **feel for** – **to sympathize or have compassion for someone**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “for” adds the sense of understanding or empathizing with someone’s pain or situation.
• _I really feel for him after hearing about his loss._ (You can sense the speaker’s compassion for someone who’s going through a tough time.)
• _She felt for the family when she heard the bad news._ (She deeply empathized with their suffering.)
2. **feel up to** – **to have the energy or be in the mood for something**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience a physical or emotional state.”
**Extended meaning:** “up to” adds the sense of being able or ready to handle a task.
• _I don’t feel up to going out tonight; I’m too tired._ (Here, the speaker is expressing that they lack the energy for an outing.)
• _Do you feel up to finishing the project today?_ (The speaker is asking if the other person has the energy or motivation to complete the task.)
3. **feel out** – **to cautiously assess a situation or someone’s opinion**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “out” suggests extending your senses to gauge someone’s reaction or situation.
• _Let’s feel out the client before we propose the new plan._ (The speaker wants to assess the client’s reaction first.)
• _She felt out her friend’s opinion before making a decision._ (She carefully asked for her friend’s thoughts to make sure the decision would be well-received.)
4. **feel after** – **to search for something by using touch**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch or sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “after” adds the sense of groping for something, usually in darkness or uncertainty.
• _He felt after his keys in the dark room._ (This implies the person is trying to find keys by touch.)
• _She felt after the light switch along the wall._ (She is using her hands to locate the switch without seeing it.)
5. **feel around** – **to search by touch**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch.”
**Extended meaning:** “around” adds the sense of groping or searching without seeing clearly.
• _I felt around in my bag for my wallet._ (The speaker is blindly searching their bag for the wallet.)
• _She felt around under the couch for the missing remote._ (She’s searching by touch in an area where she can’t see.)
6. **feel through** – **to assess something thoroughly by physical or mental examination**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch or examine.”
**Extended meaning:** “through” adds the sense of a complete or careful assessment.
• _He felt through the fabric to check its quality._ (This shows the person is examining the fabric carefully by touch.)
• _She felt through the document before signing it._ (She examined the document thoroughly to ensure it was correct.)
7. **feel like** – **to want or desire something**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion or sensation.”
**Extended meaning:** “like” adds the sense of desire or preference.
• _I feel like having pizza tonight._ (The speaker is expressing a craving or desire for pizza.)
• _Do you feel like going for a walk?_ (This is asking if the other person desires or is in the mood for a walk.)
8. **feel into** – **to investigate or probe a situation**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “into” adds the sense of delving deeper into a situation or understanding.
• _The detective is feeling into the case for more clues._ (The detective is probing further to find more details.)
• _She felt into his story to see if it was genuine._ (She is examining the details carefully to judge its truth.)
9. **feel over** – **to physically examine something by touch**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch or examine.”
**Extended meaning:** “over” adds the sense of comprehensively examining the surface of something.
• _She felt over the book’s cover to check for damage._ (The speaker is carefully touching the book to detect any issues.)
• _He felt over the wall for cracks._ (He’s using his hands to examine the wall for physical defects.)
10. **feel up** – **to grope or touch someone inappropriately**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch.”
**Extended meaning:** “up” adds a negative connotation, implying inappropriate or unwelcome touching.
• _She was uncomfortable because someone tried to feel her up at the party._ (This highlights the inappropriate physical action.)
• _He was arrested for attempting to feel someone up in the crowd._ (This shows a case of inappropriate behavior in a public setting.)
11. **feel back** – **to recall emotions or sensations from the past**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “back” adds the sense of revisiting old feelings or memories.
• _I can still feel back to the excitement of my first job._ (The speaker is recalling the emotions they had during their first job.)
• _She felt back to the time she lived in New York._ (She’s mentally returning to her past experiences.)
12. **feel with** – **to empathize with someone’s feelings**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “with” adds the sense of sharing or understanding another person’s emotions.
• _I really feel with you in this tough situation._ (The speaker is showing empathy and shared emotional understanding.)
• _She felt with her friend after hearing the sad news._ (She is expressing that she shares her friend’s sadness.)
13. **feel down** – **to feel sad or depressed**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “down” adds the sense of a low or negative emotional state.
• _He’s been feeling down since he lost his job._ (This indicates that the person is in a low emotional state due to the job loss.)
• _Whenever it rains, I start feeling down._ (The speaker associates rainy weather with feeling sad.)
14. **feel out for** – **to cautiously approach someone to gauge their opinion**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense or investigate.”
**Extended meaning:** “out for” adds the sense of subtly probing someone’s feelings or reactions.
• _He felt out for her opinion on the project before proceeding._ (He’s testing her reaction before making a move.)
• _I need to feel out for how the team feels about this change._ (The speaker is subtly gauging the team’s reaction.)
15. **feel through with** – **to resolve an issue after careful consideration**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience or sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “through with” adds the sense of completing or fully dealing with something.
• _We felt through with the challenges and finally reached a solution._ (They took the time to carefully handle the challenges.)
• _She felt through with her doubts and decided to move forward._ (She resolved her concerns after careful thought.)
16. **feel off** – **to sense that something is not right or normal**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “off” adds the sense of something being wrong or unusual.
• _I feel off today, maybe I’m coming down with a cold._ (The speaker feels that something is wrong with their body.)
• _This place feels off; let’s go somewhere else._ (There’s a sense of discomfort or something being wrong with the environment.)
17. **feel your way** – **to move or progress cautiously or slowly**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “your way” adds the sense of moving forward carefully, as if by touch.
• _We felt our way through the dark hallway._ (The speaker is moving slowly and carefully because it’s dark.)
• _She’s feeling her way through her new job._ (She’s navigating cautiously as she adjusts to the new position.)
18. **feel in for** – **to substitute for someone in a situation**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience or engage.”
**Extended meaning:** “in for” adds the sense of stepping in for someone else.
• _I’ll feel in for him while he’s on vacation._ (The speaker will take over responsibilities while the other person is away.)
• _She felt in for her colleague during the meeting._ (She substituted for her colleague’s role in the meeting.)
19. **feel one’s age** – **to feel the effects of aging**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience physically.”
**Extended meaning:** “one’s age” adds the sense of being aware of physical limitations due to age.
• _After hiking all day, I’m really starting to feel my age._ (The speaker is experiencing the physical strain associated with aging.)
• *He didn’t
feel his age until he tried playing soccer with the younger group.* (He noticed the effects of aging during physical activity.)
20. **feel down about** – **to feel sad or disappointed regarding something**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “down about” adds the sense of being sad or disappointed due to a specific cause.
• _She feels down about not getting the promotion._ (The speaker is disappointed because she didn’t get the promotion.)
• _He’s feeling down about the argument with his friend._ (He is upset because of the argument.)
21. **feel across** – **to search or reach across a surface by touch**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to touch.”
**Extended meaning:** “across” adds the sense of extending one’s hand across an area to find something.
• _He felt across the table for his phone in the dark._ (He’s using touch to locate his phone across the table.)
• _She felt across the bed for her glasses._ (She’s reaching across the bed, trying to find her glasses by touch.)
22. **feel for someone** – **to physically search for someone**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to search by touch.”
**Extended meaning:** “for someone” adds the sense of physically trying to locate someone.
• _He felt for his guide in the dark._ (He’s trying to locate the person guiding him by touch.)
• _She felt for the child in the crowded room._ (She’s trying to find the child, perhaps in a chaotic situation.)
23. **feel up to doing** – **to feel capable or ready to do something**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience a state of readiness.”
**Extended meaning:** “up to doing” adds the sense of being physically or emotionally prepared for an action.
• _Do you feel up to running that marathon tomorrow?_ (The speaker is asking if the person feels capable of running.)
• _She didn’t feel up to attending the party after such a long day._ (She didn’t feel she had enough energy to attend the event.)
24. **feel hard** – **to have strong emotional reactions**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “hard” adds the sense of emotions being particularly intense or difficult.
• _He feels hard about losing the championship._ (He is deeply affected by the loss.)
• _She felt hard when her best friend moved away._ (She had intense feelings of sadness or pain when her friend left.)
25. **feel up** – **to feel better after an illness or difficult experience**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience physically or emotionally.”
**Extended meaning:** “up” adds the sense of recovery or improvement in emotional or physical health.
• _After resting, I’m feeling up again._ (The speaker feels better after resting.)
• _She feels up to getting back to work after her illness._ (She has recovered enough to resume working.)
26. **feel something coming** – **to sense that something is about to happen**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to sense.”
**Extended meaning:** “coming” adds the sense of anticipating an event or change.
• _I can feel a storm coming._ (The speaker senses the approaching storm, perhaps due to physical changes like the weather.)
• _He felt trouble coming when he saw the look on her face._ (He anticipated that something bad was about to happen.)
27. **feel up with** – **to fill something completely with an emotion or sensation**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience.”
**Extended meaning:** “up with” adds the sense of being filled or overwhelmed with emotion.
• _She felt up with pride when her son graduated._ (She was completely filled with pride.)
• _He felt up with joy at the surprise party._ (He was overwhelmed with joy.)
28. **feel apart** – **to sense a growing distance or separation**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience.”
**Extended meaning:** “apart” adds the sense of emotional or physical separation.
• _She feels apart from her family after moving to a new country._ (She senses a growing emotional distance.)
• _They feel apart after years of living in different cities._ (They experience the separation caused by physical distance.)
29. **feel alive** – **to feel energized or full of life**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion or sensation.”
**Extended meaning:** “alive” adds the sense of vitality or energy.
• _She feels alive when she’s dancing._ (She feels full of life and energy while dancing.)
• _I feel alive after my morning run._ (The speaker feels energized and alert after exercising.)
30. **feel down in the dumps** – **to feel very sad or depressed**
**Base meaning:** “feel” means “to experience emotion.”
**Extended meaning:** “down in the dumps” is an idiomatic expression adding the sense of deep sadness or depression.
• _He’s feeling down in the dumps after his breakup._ (The speaker feels very sad and low after the breakup.)
• _Whenever it’s cold and rainy, I feel down in the dumps._ (The weather makes the speaker feel sad or depressed.)
These detailed explanations of phrasal verbs with **feel** will help you grasp not only their meanings but also how they’re used in different contexts.