feeling
An emotion or reaction
An emotion that you have inside.
[a] feeling of [emotion]; feelings about [something]
- She tried to put her feelings into words.
- The news gave me a feeling of relief.
- He kept his feelings hidden during the meeting.
- It is important to talk about your feelings.
- I had a feeling of fear.
A physical sensation
Something you notice in your body, such as pain, heat, or cold.
a [adjective] feeling in [body part]; a feeling of [sensation]
- I had a strange feeling in my chest after the run.
- The cream may cause a mild burning feeling.
- She loved the soft feeling of the blanket against her skin.
- I have a cold feeling in my hands.
- There is a strange feeling in my stomach.
An impression or intuition
An idea that you think may be true, even if you are not sure.
have/get a feeling (that) [clause]; my feeling is (that) [clause]; a feeling about [something]
- I have a feeling we're going to be late.
- My feeling is that the plan needs more time.
- There was a growing feeling among staff that changes were coming.
- I have a feeling it will rain.
- My feeling is that we should wait.
Ability to sense touch
The ability to feel things with a part of your body.
feeling in [body part]; lose/regain feeling
- After the injection, I lost feeling in my lower lip.
- It took a few minutes for the feeling to return to my fingers.
- The doctor checked whether she had any feeling in her left hand.
- I have no feeling in my foot.
- The feeling came back to my fingers.
Atmosphere or mood
The mood that a place or thing seems to have.
a [adjective] feeling; a feeling of [quality]; give/create a feeling of [quality]
- The wooden floors give the café a warm, relaxed feeling.
- The song has a lonely feeling.
- They used soft lights to create a feeling of calm.
- This room has a friendly feeling.
- The music gives the film a sad feeling.
Sensitive understanding or sympathy
A natural understanding of something or sympathy for someone.
a feeling for [someone/something]; have/show feeling for [someone/something]
- She has a natural feeling for rhythm.
- The article showed little feeling for the families affected by the disaster.
- A good translator needs a feeling for both languages.
- He has a good feeling for music.
- She shows real feeling for other people.
- Base: feeling
- Plural: feeling, feelings
a sinking feeling
1Sudden anxious realization
A sudden bad feeling that something is wrong.
- I got a sinking feeling when I saw the missed calls.
- There was a sinking feeling in the room as the results appeared on the screen.
- She had a sinking feeling that she had left her passport at home.
gut feeling
1instinctive belief without proof
A strong feeling you have about something without knowing why.
- I had a gut feeling that she was lying.
- He went with his gut feeling and bought the ticket.
gut feeling
1Instinctive belief or hunch
A feeling that something is true, even though you cannot explain why.
- My gut feeling is that we should wait.
- She had a gut feeling something was wrong.
- He couldn't prove it, but his gut feeling told him not to trust the offer.
have feelings for someone
1Feel romantic affection
To like someone in a romantic way.
- I think he has feelings for his best friend.
- She finally admitted that she still had feelings for her ex.
- He didn't want to date her because he had feelings for someone else.
hurt someone's feelings
1Make someone feel upset by words/actions
To say or do something that makes another person feel sad or upset.
- I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by my comment.
- She hurt his feelings when she laughed at him.
hurt someone's feelings
1Make someone emotionally upset
To make someone feel sad or upset by what you say or do.
- She didn't mean to hurt your feelings.
- His joke hurt my feelings, even though everyone laughed.
- Be honest, but try not to hurt anyone's feelings.
know the feeling
1Understand from experience
Used to say that you understand because the same thing has happened to you.
- You're exhausted after the trip? I know the feeling.
- When he said he was nervous before speaking in public, I knew the feeling well.
- She complained about working late, and I told her I knew the feeling.
mixed feelings
1Having positive and negative emotions
Feeling happy and unhappy about something at the same time.
- I had mixed feelings about moving to a new city.
- She felt mixed feelings when she saw her old friend again.
mixed feelings
1conflicting emotions about something
To feel both good and bad about something.
- I have mixed feelings about changing jobs.
- She had mixed feelings when her son moved away.
- They left the meeting with mixed feelings about the proposal.
mixed feelings
1Both positive and negative feelings
To feel partly good and partly bad about something.
- I have mixed feelings about moving to another city.
- The announcement was met with mixed feelings by employees.
- She had mixed feelings about seeing her old school again.
no hard feelings
1No anger after conflict
Used to say “I am not angry with you.”
- No hard feelings—we both wanted the job.
- After the argument, they shook hands and agreed there were no hard feelings.
- I hope there are no hard feelings about what happened yesterday.
the feeling is mutual
1The same feeling is shared
Used to say “I feel the same way about you.”
- When she said she was happy to see him, he smiled and said, "The feeling is mutual."
- They don't trust us, and the feeling is mutual.
- I enjoyed working with you, and I hope the feeling is mutual.