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
According to the sheriff’s office, the 82-year-old had been fishing for crawfish and got stuck in waist-deep muddy water, leaving him stranded.
—
Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Greenland is hoping new airports will bolster its tourism and mining industries to diversify the economy, which is currently reliant on fishing for 95% of its exports.
—Reuters, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Low salmon numbers in California could prompt a shutdown of fishing for a record third straight year.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
The dams decimated fish populations many tribes have long relied upon for both sustenance and cultural practices and destroyed ancient and culturally significant fishing sites, including Celilo Falls near The Dalles, Oregon, which had been fished for at least 10,000 years.
—Alyssa Kreikemeier, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025
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Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Greenland is hoping new airports will bolster its tourism and mining industries to diversify the economy, which is currently reliant on fishing for 95% of its exports.
—Reuters, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
Low salmon numbers in California could prompt a shutdown of fishing for a record third straight year.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2025
The dams decimated fish populations many tribes have long relied upon for both sustenance and cultural practices and destroyed ancient and culturally significant fishing sites, including Celilo Falls near The Dalles, Oregon, which had been fished for at least 10,000 years.
—Alyssa Kreikemeier, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fish for
Cite this Entry
“Fish for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fish%20for. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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