FEEL (felt)

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does feel mean? 

• FEEL (noun)
  The noun FEEL has 4 senses:

1. an intuitive awareness

2. the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people

3. a property perceived by touch

4. manual stimulation of the genital area for sexual pleasure

  Familiarity information: FEEL used as a noun is uncommon.

• FEEL (verb)
  The verb FEEL has 13 senses:

1. undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

2. come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

3. perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles

4. be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state

5. have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude

6. undergo passive experience of

7. be felt or perceived in a certain way

8. grope or feel in search of something

9. examine by touch

10. examine (a body part) by palpation

11. find by testing or cautious exploration

12. produce a certain impression

13. pass one's hands over the sexual organs of

  Familiarity information: FEEL used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FEEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An intuitive awareness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

it's easy when you get the feel of it

Hypernyms ("feel" is a kind of...):

awareness; cognisance; cognizance; consciousness; knowingness (having knowledge of)

Derivation:

feel (come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

feel; feeling; flavor; flavour; look; smell; spirit; tone

Context example:

it had the smell of treason

Hypernyms ("feel" is a kind of...):

ambiance; ambience; atmosphere (a particular environment or surrounding influence)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "feel"):

Hollywood (a flashy vulgar tone or atmosphere believed to be characteristic of the American film industry)

Zeitgeist (the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation)

Derivation:

feel (produce a certain impression)

feel (be felt or perceived in a certain way)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A property perceived by touch

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

feel; tactile property

Hypernyms ("feel" is a kind of...):

property (a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "feel"):

texture (the feel of a surface or a fabric)

touch (the feel of mechanical action)

Derivation:

feel (examine by touch)

feel (examine (a body part) by palpation)

feel (perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles)

feel (grope or feel in search of something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Manual stimulation of the genital area for sexual pleasure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

the girls hated it when he tried to sneak a feel

Hypernyms ("feel" is a kind of...):

arousal; foreplay; stimulation (mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse)

Derivation:

feel (pass one's hands over the sexual organs of)

• FEEL (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

experience; feel

Context example:

He felt regret

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "feel"):

suffer (experience (emotional) pain)

glow (be exuberant or high-spirited)

beam; glow; radiate; shine (experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion)

fly high (be elated)

die (feel indifferent towards)

burn (feel strong emotion, especially anger or passion)

pride oneself; take pride (feel proud of)

sympathise; sympathize (share the feelings of; understand the sentiments of)

joy; rejoice (feel happiness or joy)

sadden (come to feel sad)

regret; repent; rue (feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about)

fume (be mad, angry, or furious)

chafe (feel extreme irritation or anger)

anger; see red (become angry)

cool off (feel less enamoured of something or somebody)

entertain; harbor; harbour; hold; nurse (maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings))

smolder; smoulder (have strong suppressed feelings)

congratulate; plume; pride (be proud of)

recapture (experience anew)

incline (feel favorably disposed or willing)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

John will feel angry

Also:

feel for (share the suffering of)

Derivation:

feeling (the experiencing of affective and emotional states)

feelings (emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Come to believe on the basis of emotion, intuitions, or indefinite grounds

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

feel; find

Context example:

I found the movie rather entertaining

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

conclude; reason; reason out (decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion)

Verb group:

find; rule (decide on and make a declaration about)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They feel that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

feel (an intuitive awareness)

feeling (a vague idea in which some confidence is placed)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

feel; sense

Context example:

She felt the heat when she got out of the car

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

comprehend; perceive (to become aware of through the senses)

Verb group:

feel (be felt or perceived in a certain way)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

feel (a property perceived by touch)

feeling (a physical sensation that you experience)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be conscious of a physical, mental, or emotional state

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Context example:

She felt sad after her loss

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "feel"):

feel like a million; feel like a million dollars (be in excellent health and spirits)

suffocate (feel uncomfortable for lack of fresh air)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s Adjective

Sense 5

Meaning:

Have a feeling or perception about oneself in reaction to someone's behavior or attitude

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

I made the students feel different about themselves

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

believe; conceive; consider; think (judge or regard; look upon; judge)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s somebody PP
Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

feelings (emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity))

Sense 6

Meaning:

Undergo passive experience of

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

she felt his contempt of her

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

experience; go through; see (undergo or live through a difficult experience)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

feeling (the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Be felt or perceived in a certain way

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The sheets feel soft

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

appear; look; seem (give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect)

Verb group:

feel; sense (perceive by a physical sensation, e.g., coming from the skin or muscles)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "feel"):

crawl (feel as if crawling with insects)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s Adjective

Sentence example:

The cool air does feel good

Derivation:

feel (the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Grope or feel in search of something

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

He felt for his wallet

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

look for; search; seek (try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of)

"Feel" entails doing...:

touch (perceive via the tactile sense)

Verb group:

feel; finger (examine by touch)

feel (pass one's hands over the sexual organs of)

feel; palpate (examine (a body part) by palpation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "feel"):

grope for; scrabble (feel searchingly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The men feel the area for animals

Derivation:

feel (a property perceived by touch)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Examine by touch

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

feel; finger

Context example:

The customer fingered the sweater

"Feel" entails doing...:

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Verb group:

feel (grope or feel in search of something)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

feeling (the sensation produced by pressure receptors in the skin)

feeler (slender tactile process on the jaws of a fish)

feeler (one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste)

feel (a property perceived by touch)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Examine (a body part) by palpation

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

feel; palpate

Context example:

The runner felt her pulse

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Verb group:

feel (grope or feel in search of something)

Domain category:

medicine; practice of medicine (the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

feel (a property perceived by touch)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Find by testing or cautious exploration

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

He felt his way around the dark room

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

find; regain (come upon after searching; find the location of something that was missed or lost)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

feeler (one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head of e.g. insects and crustaceans; typically sensitive to touch and taste)

feeler (slender tactile process on the jaws of a fish)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Produce a certain impression

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

It feels nice to be home again

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

appear; look; seem (give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s Adjective/Noun

Derivation:

feel (the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people)

Sense 13

Meaning:

Pass one's hands over the sexual organs of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He felt the girl in the movie theater

Hypernyms (to "feel" is one way to...):

touch (make physical contact with, come in contact with)

Verb group:

feel (grope or feel in search of something)

Domain usage:

argot; cant; jargon; lingo; patois; slang; vernacular (a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

feel (manual stimulation of the genital area for sexual pleasure)

 Context examples 

The onlookers laughed uproariously, and he felt ashamed, he knew not why, for it was his first snow.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

I had answered in a kind of breathless whisper, but I felt, in my silence, that my breath was shorter now.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

However, in addition to that function, those cells release certain substances that produce pain (called algogenic chemicals), so they play a key role in the pain felt when the tissue is inflamed.

(Scientists make white blood cells to alleviate pain, instead of producing it, during tissue inflammation, University of Granada)

Narcolepsy is a disorder that makes people feel excessively sleepy during the day and sometimes experience changes reminiscent of REM sleep, like loss of muscle tone in the limbs and hallucinations.

(The brain may actively forget during dream sleep, National Institutes of Health)

The researchers speculate that because companion animals offer unqualified acceptance, their presence makes the children feel more secure.

(Animals’ presence may ease social anxiety in kids with autism, NIH)

An uncomfortable feeling of inner restlessness and inability to stay still; this is a side effect of some psychotropic drugs.

(Akathisia, NCI Thesaurus)

Anemia can make you feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable.

(Anemia, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Your surgeon can tell you how you might feel and what you will be able to do - or not do - the first few days, weeks, or months after surgery.

(After Surgery, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research)

A response indicating that an individual feels about the same limitations as others.

(About The Same As Others, NCI Thesaurus)

The application of non-invasive finger pressure along energy points throughout the body in order to relieve pain and induce a feeling of well-being.

(Acupressure Therapy, NCI Thesaurus)