A cat3 digital multimeter set to Volt ac and with leads connected to COM and Volt prongs, has an input impedance of around 10 MOhm.
If you connect one lead to the hot prong of an outlet, touch the other lead, and touch ground, you would measure the full AC voltage, and not get a shock, but a small current would flow through you.
Some dirt outside will likely not be a good ground. Dry ground is more like an insulator than a conductor. For example a resistance of a stone, or concrete is very high.
The best ground around is the ground electrode at your house, because it was specifically made that way. The ground prong in the outlet is much better grounded than some dirt outside. Water and rain improves ground tremendously.
But even if you are not connected to a ground you will read a voltage, approximately a bit less than half of the voltage in an outlet. This is due to capacitance.
Through the multimeter you would get charged to aproximatelly half between the potential in the outlet and a 0 Volt. And because it is an ac, you would keep getting charged to one and then the other polarity, and minute current would flow in and out of you. You would not feel it. Don't try this at home, because a bad meter or a lead in a wrong setting could do you in.
arduino
,sensor
andmosfet
tags have next to nothing to do with this question; I suggested a bit more appropriate set of tags. \$\endgroup\$