cast adrift
phrasal verb
cast adrift; casting adrift; casts adrift
1
: to cause (a boat) to float on the water without being tied to anything or controlled by anyone
—often used as (be) cast adrift
a small lifeboat was cast adrift in the open sea
2
: to cause (someone) to float on the water in a boat that is not tied to anything or controlled by anyone
—often used as (be) cast adrift
They were cast adrift in a small, leaky boat.
—often used figurativelyI was cast adrift in a sea of confusion.
Examples of cast adrift in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
We’ve all been cast adrift in the cognitive dissonance between the visceral seriousness of the crime and the abject flippancy of the shooter, the brutality of the shooting and the memes reacting to Kirk’s bigoted views.
—
Raven Smith, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2025
Anderson’s twist on the bungling crime picture is hilariously low stakes and inconsequential, but Bottle Rocket has real insight into the feeling of young people cast adrift.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 June 2025
For some, these lies hold as truth, and retreat spells insecurity and chaos, a condition of being cast adrift and wandering in an unknown and fear-filled land.
—Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Without them, employees become nothing more than a row of records on Workday, cast adrift with little to moor them down to the corporate fabric.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
After being cast adrift on February 9, the cargo trunk spent more than two weeks in a decaying orbit.
—Samantha Lawler, Scientific American, 11 July 2024
Since being cast adrift, the Beavers and Cougars have played their cards exactly right.
—Jon Wilner, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2024
Indian arches and palms lend it a Jungle Book sensibility, while the sheer privacy of it—cast adrift from the rest of the world—bestows couples their island kingdom, upon which their vision of the day can unfold.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2023
Governments started to worry less about glory than about being cast adrift by a reluctant ally or left vulnerable by mobilizing too slowly.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2014
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Raven Smith, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2025
Anderson’s twist on the bungling crime picture is hilariously low stakes and inconsequential, but Bottle Rocket has real insight into the feeling of young people cast adrift.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 7 June 2025
For some, these lies hold as truth, and retreat spells insecurity and chaos, a condition of being cast adrift and wandering in an unknown and fear-filled land.
—Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Without them, employees become nothing more than a row of records on Workday, cast adrift with little to moor them down to the corporate fabric.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
After being cast adrift on February 9, the cargo trunk spent more than two weeks in a decaying orbit.
—Samantha Lawler, Scientific American, 11 July 2024
Since being cast adrift, the Beavers and Cougars have played their cards exactly right.
—Jon Wilner, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2024
Indian arches and palms lend it a Jungle Book sensibility, while the sheer privacy of it—cast adrift from the rest of the world—bestows couples their island kingdom, upon which their vision of the day can unfold.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2023
Governments started to worry less about glory than about being cast adrift by a reluctant ally or left vulnerable by mobilizing too slowly.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Oct. 2014
Cite this Entry
“Cast adrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast%20adrift. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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