fish for
phrasal verb
fished for; fishing for; fishes for
: to ask for or try to get (something, such as praise or attention) in an indirect way
I think he offers apologies for his cooking as a way of fishing for compliments.
fishing for answers
Examples of fish for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first phase will be big enough to serve 1,600 people at a time with live and fresh fish for sale.
—
Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
This time researchers were able to purchase and examine the fish for themselves.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024
Top Activities: Bear watching at Brooks Falls: Watch brown bears fish for salmon.
—Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
To raise enough money to open the fast-food chain’s first location in 1996, Graves moved to California from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work 90-hour weeks in an oil refinery — and, later, fish for salmon in Alaska — according to the company’s website.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fish for 
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Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
This time researchers were able to purchase and examine the fish for themselves.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024
Top Activities: Bear watching at Brooks Falls: Watch brown bears fish for salmon.
—Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
To raise enough money to open the fast-food chain’s first location in 1996, Graves moved to California from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to work 90-hour weeks in an oil refinery — and, later, fish for salmon in Alaska — according to the company’s website.
—Natalie Wu, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fish for
Dictionary Entries Near fish for
Cite this Entry
“Fish for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20for. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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