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

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
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.
Now the company is casting about in a very different sort of pool. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 16 June 2025 The list of things Disney might not want journalists to ask its cast about with this movie is long and of varying levels of importance. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2025 The cart before the horse There’s a difference between a scientist who hypothesizes that a medical fact may be true and then sets about testing that idea, and a scientist who has already embraced and amplified a medical theory and is now casting about for something to support his conclusion. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 May 2025 My college cohort graduated into a decimated job market, desperately seeking internships that were likely to be unpaid and casting about for gigs working in bars or cafés. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cast about

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cast about.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast%20about. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

cast about

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