as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
we knocked about from town to town, looking for work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in rollicking
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way
a knockabout game of football in the mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in nomad
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
the book is one writer's journey of self-discovery as a restless knockabout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock (about)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Noun
This new film is a very black comedy that is also a heist story with some bloody violence, along with a bit of knockabout slapstick and a theme of family bonds.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock (about)
Verb
-
At least three other crocodile species roamed an area to the south known as the Eastern Rift Valley.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Gazelles roam freely near the refineries and depots that make Kharg one of Iran’s most valuable — and sensitive — assets.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His lightning guitar work — alongside a mandolinist, fiddler, upright-bassist and banjo player who are not too shabby on their respective strings themselves — delivered a rollicking half-hour that gave the fans in the bleachers plenty to dance to.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2023
Noun
-
Another camp speculates that these forebears met human nomads on the trail of big game and started traveling with them, eventually arriving in China via Mongolia through their supporting role as war dogs.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Design devotees, creative professionals, and global nomads who value understatement over flash.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Locals consistently rave about FIG and Leon’s Oyster Shop, though wandering around aimlessly—especially on the city’s lively King Street—is part of the fun, too.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Memories of the late David Crosby calmly wandering about, checking the performances going on while waiting to play his set, or watching Cuban singer and guitarist Eliades Ochoa, of Buena Vista Social Club fame, enjoying a quiet moment with his family and having an ice cream, come to mind.—
Fernando Gonzalez,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lord and Miller are boisterous funnymen, with a flair for the exaggerated and the outlandish that feels born of their frequent work in animation.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
There’s her sister, Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis), who’s as loud and boisterous as Kay is quiet and disciplined.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Spader plays Graham, an enigmatic wanderer who inserts himself into the lives of his old friend John (Peter Gallagher), his wife Ann (Andie MacDowell) and her sister Cynthia (San Giacomo), drawing out all manner of confessions and revelations.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tottenham are drifting, and need to find leaders somewhere, or their season will end in the ignominy of a first relegation in 49 years.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The approach could help prevent both the robot and the satellite from spinning or drifting during delicate repairs.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Locals consistently rave about FIG and Leon’s Oyster Shop, though wandering around aimlessly—especially on the city’s lively King Street—is part of the fun, too.—
Annie Daly,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Anecdotally, schools with bell-to-bell bans report livelier lunchtime conversations, and some research suggests that time and distance are critical for counteracting phones’ addictive tendencies.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20%28about%29. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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