put out feelers
put out feelers · puts out feelers · put out feelers · putting out feelers
To explore or watch forTo explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate.
Meaning
1 senses(idiomatic)To explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate.
I will put out feelers and see what I can find out about that.
More definitions
- make some preliminary investigations or test the waters
Origin
An allusion to animals which use their feelers to gain awareness of their surroundings.An allusion to animals which use their feelers to gain awareness of their surroundings.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
puts out feelers, putting out feelers, put out feelers, put out feelers| Base form | put out feelers · to put out feelers |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | puts out feelers |
| Present participle | putting out feelers |
| Past simple | put out feelers |
| Past participle | put out feelers |
irregular · Lesson
Synonyms
1 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.