as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
he gads about town every Saturday, flirting and gossiping with various shopkeepers and locals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
she was a thoughtful gadabout, always picking up souvenirs for her friends from wherever her travels took her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in peripatetic
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gad (about)
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
Simon is so reserved that even his live-in girlfriend (an egregiously underused Olivia Thirlby) has given up on him; Trevor is a kooky gadabout who’d be right at home trading druggy celebrity anecdotes with Oliver Putnam.
—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gad (about)
Verb
-
Visitors can hike trails and drive a scenic route through the colorful, rugged Badlands where bison and wild horses roam.
-
The age of sail, when pirates like Johnny Depp’s fictional Jack Sparrow roamed the seven seas, ended about 200 years ago.
Noun
-
Gerardo Olivares’ globe-trotting comedy sees various nomads and tribesmen move heaven and earth to watch the final between 2002 World Cup final between Germany and Brazil.
-
Who co-living is actually for The stereotype of co-living as a landing pad for laptop-toting nomads no longer holds.
Adjective
-
In an untitled work from 1995, a cluster of sturdy wagons sits at the edge of a frozen lake, a site where her family of peripatetic horse traders often camped.
-
The Danish Algerian songwriter’s peripatetic new album pulls up at the bustling crossroads of the electroclash comeback and the contemporary Scandinavian school.
Verb
-
Throughout the weekend, someone wandering around Mass MoCA’s campus might have caught excellent mainstage opening acts like Gang of Four (featuring Ted Leo on guitar) or the Breeders, representing two strains of Eighties and Nineties alt/punk rock.
-
Most ticks are content to sit and wait for a meal to wander past; lone stars have no patience for that.
Noun
-
Weston loved to ‘embed himself in different cultures’ Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham, described him as an ardent protector of the environment and a wanderer who loved to travel and enjoy nature.
-
Designed to naturally decay over roughly a decade, these statues impress wanderers who seek them out.
Adjective
-
Recent data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) reveals that the vast majority of care is now happening in outpatient settings like physician groups, ambulatory practices and same-day surgery centers.
-
One non-hospital option that may be lesser known to people is ambulatory surgery centers.
Verb
-
Yamal was a thorn in Saudi Arabia’s side, drifting infield to unleash shots from distance but also peppering the penalty area with wicked deliveries from the right flank.
-
When those models drift or their assumptions fail, errors can scale rapidly.
Noun
-
Average transaction values for travel are still high, more than $31,000, but travelers are scrutinizing their receipts and pushing back when rate hikes don't come with better service.
-
Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler.
Cite this Entry
“Gad (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gad%20%28about%29. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
