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If you had to pick the insect most closely related to a gadabout, you might wryly guess the "social butterfly." But there's another bug that's commonly heard buzzing around discussions of the gadabout: the gadfly. Gadfly is a term used for any of a number of winged pests (such as horseflies) that bite or annoy livestock. Since gadflies are known for their nasty bite, it's not surprising that they are named after a sharp chisel or pointed bar used by miners to loosen rock and ore called a "gad." But, although a gadabout's gossip can bite, gadfly doesn't have any clear etymological relation to gadabout, which traces back to the Middle English verb gadden, whose etymology etymologists are still trying to catch.

Examples of gadabout in a Sentence

she was a thoughtful gadabout, always picking up souvenirs for her friends from wherever her travels took her

Recent Examples on the Web For those of us who won’t be joining in the sybaritic excursion, Matches is bringing the Riviera gadabout vibes to all with capsule collections of women’s, men’s and home products curated by Sciò and Rabensteiner. — Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 5 May 2022 But a linesman stepped in and prevented the gadabout angler from bringing in the catch. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2021 He was inundated with offers and tried to avoid being typecast as the likable gadabout. — BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2021 Listen here Writer, comedian, and social gadabout Lucas Murphy sits down with friends and contemporaries to solve the New York Times crossword puzzle. — Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2020 So, a solar charging system fits perfectly with your gadabout persona. — The Editors, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2020 In a few words The taverns are fair full of gadabouts making merry this eve. — National Geographic, 30 Mar. 2020 An actress, artist and, in an earlier life, unregenerate gadabout, Ms. Subkoff seemed intent on presenting the world with a shiny, self-assured and elegantly gift-wrapped version of herself. — New York Times, 14 Nov. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gadabout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.