Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

cast about

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to make a mental or visual search

    to cast about for an idea for a book

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cast about Idioms  
  1. Also, cast around . Seek, make a search, as in We cast about for the necessary tools, but couldn't find them in the garage . [Late 1600s]

  2. Devise means, contrive, as in They cast about for new ways to increase revenue . This usage was first recorded in 1867.


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The colonists cast about for another means of ensuring that these judges would be independent, sensitive to local interests, and not entirely beholden to the king.

From Slate Feb. 26, 2025

Meanwhile, “the other two” siblings cast about in search of a purpose: Brooke goes to work as a talent manager for her mom and little brother.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 29, 2023

Stokes is the headliner of all-star ensemble cast about to tell a story overflowing with subplots.

From BBC Jun. 15, 2023

These days, Lacey divides her time between Brooklyn and Mexico City — during the pandemic, she left a relationship, sold her home and cast about before alighting in Mexico City, almost on a whim.

From New York Times Mar. 18, 2023

And he cast about secretly in his mind where he should find a maid.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training