A probe or act of feeling/sounding someone out; an attempt to find out information or someone's true feelings (as in 'to feel someone out').
彼の反応を探るために探りを入れてみた。
I tried to feel him out to see how he would react.
交渉はまだ探りの段階だ。本格的な要求はまだ出していない。
Negotiations are still at the probing stage. No formal demands have been made yet.
敵地への偵察で探りを入れる役目を任された。
I was assigned the role of probing/ scouting during reconnaissance of enemy territory.