"feel out" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "feels out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "feeling out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "felt out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "felt out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "feel<,,felt> out"
      },
      "expansion": "feel out (third-person singular simple present feels out, present participle feeling out, simple past and past participle felt out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Icelandic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              26
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I think we should feel out your mom's thoughts about this before we decide anything.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              10
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1976 February 7, Rose Flower, quoting Jimmy McGrath, “Playland: The Friendliest Place In Town”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 32, page 13:",
          "text": "I feel out strangers that come in to make sure they know they're in a gay place and won't cause any trouble.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attempt to ascertain a person's point of view, or the nature of a situation, by cautious and subtle means."
      ],
      "id": "en-feel_out-en-verb-KwvKt1rx",
      "links": [
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ],
        [
          "ascertain",
          "ascertain"
        ],
        [
          "point of view",
          "point of view"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "cautious",
          "cautious"
        ],
        [
          "subtle",
          "subtle"
        ],
        [
          "means",
          "means"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To attempt to ascertain a person's point of view, or the nature of a situation, by cautious and subtle means."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "query"
        },
        {
          "word": "question"
        },
        {
          "word": "put out feelers"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "sense": "try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
          "word": "sound out"
        },
        {
          "sense": "try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
          "word": "check out"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
          "word": "fara á fjörurnar við"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
          "word": "leita hófanna hjá"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "feel out"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "feels out",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "feeling out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "felt out",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "felt out",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "feel<,,felt> out"
      },
      "expansion": "feel out (third-person singular simple present feels out, present participle feeling out, simple past and past participle felt out)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "query"
    },
    {
      "word": "question"
    },
    {
      "word": "put out feelers"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English phrasal verbs",
        "English phrasal verbs formed with \"out\"",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Icelandic translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              26
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I think we should feel out your mom's thoughts about this before we decide anything.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              2,
              10
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1976 February 7, Rose Flower, quoting Jimmy McGrath, “Playland: The Friendliest Place In Town”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 32, page 13:",
          "text": "I feel out strangers that come in to make sure they know they're in a gay place and won't cause any trouble.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To attempt to ascertain a person's point of view, or the nature of a situation, by cautious and subtle means."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "attempt",
          "attempt"
        ],
        [
          "ascertain",
          "ascertain"
        ],
        [
          "point of view",
          "point of view"
        ],
        [
          "situation",
          "situation"
        ],
        [
          "cautious",
          "cautious"
        ],
        [
          "subtle",
          "subtle"
        ],
        [
          "means",
          "means"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To attempt to ascertain a person's point of view, or the nature of a situation, by cautious and subtle means."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
      "word": "sound out"
    },
    {
      "sense": "try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
      "word": "check out"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
      "word": "fara á fjörurnar við"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to try to ascertain a point of view or the nature of something",
      "word": "leita hófanna hjá"
    }
  ],
  "word": "feel out"
}