as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
he gads about town every Saturday, flirting and gossiping with various shopkeepers and locals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
she was a thoughtful gadabout, always picking up souvenirs for her friends from wherever her travels took her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in peripatetic
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of gad (about)
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
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
Hardly the schedule of a social gadabout.
—New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
The giggling gadabout who dies penniless.
—Cory Oldweiler, Star Tribune, 11 Dec. 2020
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
Simon is so reserved that even his live-in girlfriend (an egregiously underused Olivia Thirlby) has given up on him; Trevor is a kooky gadabout who’d be right at home trading druggy celebrity anecdotes with Oliver Putnam.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
The wild career of David Johansen — New York Dolls frontman, punk gadabout, occasional actor, and Buster Poindexter portrayer — will be the focus of an upcoming documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
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
Hardly the schedule of a social gadabout.
—New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
The giggling gadabout who dies penniless.
—Cory Oldweiler, Star Tribune, 11 Dec. 2020
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
Simon is so reserved that even his live-in girlfriend (an egregiously underused Olivia Thirlby) has given up on him; Trevor is a kooky gadabout who’d be right at home trading druggy celebrity anecdotes with Oliver Putnam.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gad (about)
Verb
-
Instead, commissioners banned outdoor alcohol sales as well as the practice of allowing patrons to roam from bar to bar with cocktails in hand.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But each vessel, shares a similar platform and is meant to roam the high seas, with a 4,000-nautical-mile range that could carry its owner just about anywhere.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The rooms Eschewing the predictable Greek island white-on-white aesthetic, the look is more global nomad than Cycladic purist.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Jargalsaikhan Bayarkhand's winning entry from Mongolia is a striking portrait of a Kazakh nomad in traditional attire and the country's sparse landscape framing him.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Empower has also advised veteran former Manchester United and Portugal midfielder Nani throughout a career that has included spells in the United States, Australia, Italy, Turkey and a return to his homeland in its peripatetic latter years.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The peripatetic singer-songwriter’s eponymous third album is a document of wandering and longing.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hill was arrested in August after he was spotted wandering Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles in his underwear and cowboy boots.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
-
During bouts of insomnia, Altman would wander by them in his pajamas.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An experienced world-traveler who is no longer interested in scenes or conspicuous displays of wealth or expertise.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Videos posted on social media showed thousands of travelers waiting in crowded conditions as airport trains gradually came back online.—
Brian Maass,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Researchers examined long-term data from more than 5,000 ambulatory women between the ages of 63 and 99, with an average age of 78, who were enrolled in the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health in Older Women (OPACH) study.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The outpatient building will include clinics and an ambulatory surgery center.—
Samuel O’Neal
March 26,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Voice like a warm porchlight left on for wanderers who kissed goodbye too soon or stayed too long.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike most comets, which originate in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, this icy wanderer formed around another star before drifting into our cosmic neighborhood.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
New Orleans is one of those rare cities that announces itself immediately — through the smell of powdered sugar drifting from a café, the sound of a trumpet warming up on a street corner, the sight of iron-lace balconies draped over cobblestone sidewalks.—
Lauren Schuster,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The courtyard of Frozen Music—a bespoke stone atelier outside Jaipur, India—lives up to the tranquility of its name, with a burbling fountain and birdsong drifting through banyan trees at dusk.—
Sarah Medford,
Architectural Digest,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gad (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gad%20%28about%29. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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