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
Bighead carp are not native to Colorado and negatively impact the ecosystem by competing with other fish for plankton, their main food source, state officials said.
—
Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
Farther offshore, a lone elephant seal fished for its lunch, and, in a rocky inlet, an otter bobbed along on its back, a crab clutched between its front paws.
—Sara B. Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Though Huff is known particularly for his prowess with forward-facing sonar, he’s also had a lot of experience fishing for spawners on Table Rock and Bull Shoals in Arkansas and Missouri.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 8 May 2024
After a series of busts of poachers fishing for out-of-season striped bass in New York, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation has changed fishing regulations for the species.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 May 2024
Chinook salmon populations have suffered major declines in recent years, and fishery managers decided to prohibit fishing for another year to help stocks recover.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Bella fed her baby some fish for its first meal at around 5 p.m., then Scout came back to the nest a couple hours later, the conservation center said in an April 9 news release.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Even in parts of the South, stockings during the cooler months give anglers a chance to go trout fishing for rainbows and browns that could never exist there naturally.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024
But there's still always some aspect of getting friends together—of eating Chinese food in some way, shape, or form; of eating auspicious foods like noodles for longevity, fish for surplus, oranges for wealth.
—Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Feb. 2024
Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
Farther offshore, a lone elephant seal fished for its lunch, and, in a rocky inlet, an otter bobbed along on its back, a crab clutched between its front paws.
—Sara B. Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 12 May 2024
Though Huff is known particularly for his prowess with forward-facing sonar, he’s also had a lot of experience fishing for spawners on Table Rock and Bull Shoals in Arkansas and Missouri.
—Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 8 May 2024
After a series of busts of poachers fishing for out-of-season striped bass in New York, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation has changed fishing regulations for the species.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 May 2024
Chinook salmon populations have suffered major declines in recent years, and fishery managers decided to prohibit fishing for another year to help stocks recover.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Bella fed her baby some fish for its first meal at around 5 p.m., then Scout came back to the nest a couple hours later, the conservation center said in an April 9 news release.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Even in parts of the South, stockings during the cooler months give anglers a chance to go trout fishing for rainbows and browns that could never exist there naturally.
—Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024
But there's still always some aspect of getting friends together—of eating Chinese food in some way, shape, or form; of eating auspicious foods like noodles for longevity, fish for surplus, oranges for wealth.
—Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fish for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Fish for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20for. Accessed 22 May. 2024.
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