# feel around

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/feel-around
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to use your hands to search for something when you cannot see it clearly. You use this when looking for things in the dark or inside a bag.

For teachers: to search for something by touch, typically in conditions of low visibility or within an enclosed space. The verb is intransitive, though it frequently takes a prepositional complement.

## Examples

- I feel around for the light switch in the dark.
- After the power went out, she had to feel around in the kitchen drawer to find a candle and some matches.
- The archaeologist had to feel around cautiously within the narrow crevice, hoping to encounter the smooth surface of a ceramic shard without disturbing the surrounding silt.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I felt around of my keys in the dark." but "I felt around for my keys in the dark." — The preposition 'for' is required to introduce the object being sought; 'of' is never used here.

## Usage notes

- Usually followed by the preposition 'for' when naming the specific object you want to find.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'grope', which implies a more desperate or clumsy movement; 'feel around' is the standard term for searching by touch.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.