feel one's way
Proceed by touch
Feel one's way means to move cautiously, using touch rather than sight to navigate, as when groping through a dark room.
More often the phrase is used figuratively to describe proceeding carefully in an unfamiliar situation, testing possibilities before committing to a course of action.
She felt her way through the first weeks of her new job, learning the office dynamics.
The expression suggests tentative progress rather than confident forward movement.
Feel about blindly
- fumbleHandle with clumsy fingers
- probeThorough examination or tool
- palpateExamine by touch
- touchPerceiving through physical contact
fingertips · blindfold · texture · navigate · tactile · sensation · darkness · contact
Innate behavioral tendency
- improvisePerform without preparation
- adaptModify for new conditions
- sensePerception or judgment
- intuitKnow by instinct
navigate · uncertain · trial and error · figure out · experiment · adjust · respond · read the room
grope
Feel about blindly
touch · fingertips · blindfold · texture · navigate · tactile · sensation · darkness · contact · grasp
instinct
Innate behavioral tendency
intuit · navigate · uncertain · trial and error · figure out · experiment · adjust · respond · read the room · play it by ear
tentative
Uncertain and provisional
guarded · circumspect · prudent · measured · mindful · careful · judicious · gingerly · tread lightly · step by step
feel one's waycharge ahead
Proceed boldly forward
rush in · storm in · barge in · plow ahead · blaze a trail
feel one's wayplunge in
Start abruptly, without preparation
dive in · throw caution to the wind · go for broke · take the plunge · damn the torpedoes