"put out feelers" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to animals which use their feelers to gain awareness of their surroundings.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "puts out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "putting out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "put<,,put> out feelers"
      },
      "expansion": "put out feelers (third-person singular simple present puts out feelers, present participle putting out feelers, simple past and past participle put out feelers)",
      "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 entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I will put out feelers and see what I can find out about that.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate."
      ],
      "id": "en-put_out_feelers-en-verb-uRq29HsN",
      "links": [
        [
          "explore",
          "explore"
        ],
        [
          "watch",
          "watch"
        ],
        [
          "ask",
          "ask"
        ],
        [
          "investigate",
          "investigate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "put out"
        },
        {
          "word": "feel"
        },
        {
          "word": "feeler"
        },
        {
          "word": "cat tap"
        },
        {
          "word": "trial balloon"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "test the waters"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-put out feelers.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fe/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "put out feelers"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "An allusion to animals which use their feelers to gain awareness of their surroundings.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "puts out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "putting out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put out feelers",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "put<,,put> out feelers"
      },
      "expansion": "put out feelers (third-person singular simple present puts out feelers, present participle putting out feelers, simple past and past participle put out feelers)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "put out"
    },
    {
      "word": "feel"
    },
    {
      "word": "feeler"
    },
    {
      "word": "cat tap"
    },
    {
      "word": "trial balloon"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English light verb constructions",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I will put out feelers and see what I can find out about that.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "explore",
          "explore"
        ],
        [
          "watch",
          "watch"
        ],
        [
          "ask",
          "ask"
        ],
        [
          "investigate",
          "investigate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To explore or watch for; to ask around; to investigate."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-put out feelers.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/fe/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/En-au-put_out_feelers.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "test the waters"
    }
  ],
  "word": "put out feelers"
}