Feel Like Doing vs. Feel Like To Do
Cambridge treats “feel like (doing) something” as the idiomatic pattern for wanting to have or do something. Here like is part of the fixed expression “feel like”; it is followed by a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a to-infinitive with the same meaning.
Use “feel like doing” for wanting to do something; “feel like to do” is not the reviewed equivalent.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| want or be inclined to do an activity | feel like + -ing | Use “feel like doing.” |
| feel as if something is true | feel like + clause/noun phrase | A different construction can follow “feel like.” |
| attempted equivalent with to-infinitive | feel like to do | Do not use this as the ordinary wanting construction. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does “feel like” mean “want to” before an action?
If yes: Use “feel like + -ing.”
If no: If “feel like” means “feel as if” or introduces a noun phrase, use the structure required by that meaning.
Caveat: The page distinguishes the documented wanting construction; a surface sequence with “to” elsewhere in the sentence may have a different grammatical structure.
Examples
Do you feel like going for a walk?
The -ing form follows “feel like” in the wanting sense.
I don’t feel like cooking tonight.
The activity is expressed with an -ing form.
It feels like the rain is getting heavier.
This is the “feel as if” sense, not the wanting construction.
Further guidance
Boundary
Here like is part of the fixed expression “feel like”; it is followed by a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a to-infinitive with the same meaning.
Construction
Cambridge treats “feel like (doing) something” as the idiomatic pattern for wanting to have or do something.
Decision
Use “feel like doing” for wanting to do something; “feel like to do” is not the reviewed equivalent.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- feel like (doing) something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Feel like (doing) something as the idiomatic pattern for wanting to do something