cast about

verb

cast about; casting about; casts about

intransitive verb

: to look around : seek

cast about for a seat

transitive verb

: to lay plans concerning : contrive

cast about how he was to go

Synonyms of cast about

• pursue
• seek
• shop (for)
• chase (down)
• search (for or out)

Examples of cast about in a Sentence

cast about for an answer to the question of why so many people had ignored the victim's cries for help

Recent Examples on the Web

Hinds County voters cast about 2,400 provisional ballots but officials rejected about two-thirds of them, a share that is much higher than in other Mississippi counties. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2026

In early voting alone, Hammoud said, residents cast about 22% more votes in the 2026 midterms than the 2024 general presidential election. — Justin Papp,caleigh Keating,garrett Downs,kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Conversely, Republican voters have cast about 38% of the ballots, while 13% were cast by voters unaffiliated with a political party. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026

Today, with the White Sox doing so well, fans are casting about for ways to follow the game without busting the budget as access is proprietary. — Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for cast about

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout

Kids Definition

cast about

verb

: to look around here and there : seek