feel (feels 3rd person present) (feeling present participle) (felt past tense & past participle )
1 v-link If you feel a particular emotion or physical sensation, you experience it.
I am feeling very depressed... V adj
I will always feel grateful to that little guy... V adj
I remember feeling sick... V adj
Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder... V n
You won't feel a thing... V n
I felt as if all my strength had gone... V as if
I felt like I was being kicked in the teeth every day. V like
2 v-link If you talk about how an experience or event feels, you talk about the emotions and sensations connected with it.
no cont
It feels good to have finished a piece of work... it V adj to-inf/that
The speed at which everything moved felt strange... V adj
Within five minutes of arriving back from holiday, it feels as if I've never been away... it V as if
It felt like I'd had two babies instead of one... it V like
3 v-link 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.
no cont
The metal felt smooth and cold... V adj
The ten-foot oars felt heavy and awkward... V adj
When the clay feels like putty, it is ready to use. V like n
Feel is also a noun., n-sing usu with supp
He remembered the feel of her skin..., Linen raincoats have a crisp, papery feel.
4 v-link 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.
no cont
It felt wintry cold that day. it V adj, Also it V like/as if
5 verb 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... V n
When dry, feel the surface and it will no longer be smooth... V n
Feel how soft the skin is in the small of the back... V wh
Her eyes squeezed shut, she felt inside the tin, expecting it to be bare. V prep/adv
6 verb If you can feel something, you are aware of it because it is touching you.
no cont
Through several layers of clothes I could feel his muscles... V n
He felt her leg against his. V n prep/adv
7 verb 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... V n -ing
He felt something move beside him... V n inf
She felt herself lifted from her feet... V pron-refl -ed
Tremors were felt 250 miles away. be V-ed
8 verb If you feelyourself 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... V pron-refl inf
If at any point you feel yourself becoming tense, make a conscious effort to relax... V pron-refl -ing
I actually felt my heart quicken. V n inf, Also V n -ing
9 verb If you feel the presence of someone or something, you become aware of them, even though you cannot see or hear them.
no cont
(=sense)
He felt her eyes on him... V n
Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me... V n
I could feel that a man was watching me very intensely... V that
He almost felt her wincing at the other end of the telephone. V n -ing
10 verb If you feel that something is the case, you have a strong idea in your mind that it is the case.
no cont
I feel that not enough is being done to protect the local animal life... V that
I feel certain that it will all turn out well... V adj that
She felt herself to be part of a large business empire... V n to-inf
I never felt myself a real child of the sixties. V pron-refl n
11 verb If you feel that you should do something, you think that you should do it.
no cont
I feel I should resign... V that
He felt that he had to do it... V that
You need not feel obliged to contribute... V -ed to-inf
They felt under no obligation to maintain their employees. V under n
12 verb If you talk about how you feelabout something, you talk about your opinion, attitude, or reaction to it.
no cont
We'd like to know what you feel about abortion... V about n
She feels guilty about spending less time lately with her two kids... V adj/adv about n
He feels deep regret about his friend's death. V n about n
13 verb 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... V like -ing/n
Could we take a walk? I feel like a little exercise. V like -ing/n
14 verb 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... V n
The real impact will be felt in the developing world. V n
15 n-sing The feel of something, for example a place, is the general impression that it gives you.
with supp
The room has a warm, cosy feel. If you get the feel of something, for example a place or a new activity, you become familiar with it.
get the feel of phrase V inflects, PHR n
He wanted to get the feel of the place.
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free feel for
1 phrasal verb If you feel for something, for example in the dark, you try to find it by moving your hand around until you touch it.
I felt for my wallet and papers in my inside pocket... V P n
I slumped down in my usual armchair and felt around for the newspaper. V adv/prep P n
2 phrasal verb If you feel for someone, you have sympathy for them. She cried on the phone and was very upset and I really felt for her. V P n
feel-good , feelgood
1 adj A feel-good film is a film which presents people and life in a way which makes the people who watch it feel happy and optimistic.
ADJ n
...a bright and enjoyable feelgood romance.
2 When journalists refer to the feel-good factor, they mean that people are feeling hopeful and optimistic about the future.
feel-good factor phrase
There were obvious signs of the feel-good factor in the last survey taken in the wake of the election result.
