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

Examples of cast about in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Not to cast about for trends, but what do the movies of 2023 have against balding, flatulent, socially awkward teachers named Paul? Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 In early 1938, a U.S. senator from Georgia denounced Turpentine, a Federal Theater Project play with a Black cast about the South’s notorious debt-bondage labor camps. Adam Hochschild, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023 Correspondent Seth Doane talks with the show's creators and cast about what makes their program unique. David Morgan, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2023 Whether or not Friedkin knew that this movie would be his final work, there’s a temptation to cast about for deeper significance in his choice of material. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023 On one side Disney is casting about for a new video strategy that could include offering ESPN through an online subscription service. Scott Moritz, Fortune, 2 Sep. 2023 Looking to inject a little fun into the Pinto, Ford's marketing department cast about for anything the kids were into these days. Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 31 July 2023 Wiley, and others in his world, had noticed a jurisdictional gap in accountability for Syria and had begun casting about for Syrian lawyers who might be up for a perilous, but worthy, task. Ben Taub, The New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2023 Voters ages 55-64 and 65-74 are just about tied for the lead in turnout so far, with each having cast about 56,900 votes or about 18.72% of the total ballots counted. Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cast about.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cast about was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near cast about

Cite this Entry

“Cast about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast%20about. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

cast about

verb
: to look around here and there : seek
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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