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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of gadabout
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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gadabout
Verb
-
Colorful murals adorn the interior, with communal tables and high ceilings, and the outdoors has beer-keg tables and heat lamps and lots of room for patrons — and their dogs — to roam.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
His beam wavered on a patch of blankness, or the corner of an amp, and then began to roam the stage in desperation, scanning here and scanning there—until, from the darkness, the voice of Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden’s singer, was heard.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Dreadlocked yaks were dotted around the foreground and the odd cluster of nomad tents swept by colorful prayer flags fluttering in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
31 Aug. 2025
-
The area is home to the indigenous Sami, who were descendants of nomads who lived in North Scandinavia for thousands of years.—
Jason Mastrodonato,
Mercury News,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But before long, this peripatetic entrepreneur will be back at cruising altitude.—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
5 July 2025
-
The Running Man production was a far more peripatetic affair, as the cast and crew moved from the Scottish city of Glasgow to Wembley Stadium, to Leavesden, and finally to Bulgaria.—
Clark Collis Updated,
EW.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Her task now is simply to wander, wait and listen.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Despite its common name, this creature wasn’t simply a lion that wandered into the Americas.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In April, the authority referred a medical business that was interested in building an ambulatory surgery center at River Ridge to Hollenbach-Oakley, per the development agreement.—
Matthew Glowicki,
The Courier-Journal,
19 Aug. 2025
-
Fox combats his symptoms, such as paralysis of his facial muscles, through medication and trains to preserve his ambulatory skills.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As a traveler, she's visited destinations such as Hawaii and Mexico, especially loving trips out in nature.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Searches for Christmas and New Year’s getaways show travelers are looking for warm international locales to escape the cold.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After an earnings beat and a blistering 32% pop on July 30, the stock drifted lower for a month — a normal profit-taking after a vertical move.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This means that if Solar Cycle 25 were stronger or weaker than predicted, the peak month of solar maximum would drift from this August-September 2025 prediction.—
Ryan French,
Space.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Its steep, meandering streets form a patchwork quilt filled with artists, spiritual seekers, motorcyclists, weekend wanderers, and retirees, each adding their own thread to the fabric.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The weather is almost always perfect, the mountains are endlessly inviting, and state's inland gems, like the ever-popular Palm Springs, offer plenty of magic for weekend wanderers.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gadabout.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gadabout. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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