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 gypsy
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock (about)
Verb
-
Such broad, open spaces were essential to the origins of the giant sloths, and so creating wide-open spaces helps spur the evolution of giants to roam such environments.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
11 July 2025
-
Thus, in what could be a bit of serendipity, if the sample return is postponed indefinitely, Perseverance is free to roam beyond the rim of Jezero Crater.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
His setlist, a rollicking walk-down-memory-lane of solo hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, show tunes and cover songs, showcased his range as an entertainer, musical virtuoso and keen collaborator.—
Sonal Dutt,
Peoplemag,
23 Jan. 2023
Verb
-
Between all that, cosplayers wander around and fans stop to buy action figures, play video games and meet their favorite artists.—
Olivia Petty,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
The clinic recommends taking actions including wearing bug spray with DEET, wearing gloves when dealing with animals that could be infected, and not allowing pets to wander around outside if located in an area that is known to have plague.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
The bar queues remain orderly, the chat is boisterous, but body odour is now rife.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
-
At a boisterous court hearing Monday, America’s largest for-profit prison company asked a Kansas judge to reconsider whether it should be allowed to reopen its shuttered Leavenworth prison as an immigrant detention center.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, much of the Upper Midwest on Saturday was dealing with swaths of unhealthy air because of drifting smoke from Canadian wildfire.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 July 2025
-
But while Carreras had much of the left flank to himself at Benfica, things will be more congested at Madrid, with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe often drifting over to that side in search of the ball.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
-
In February, a lively and well-attended protest march took over the streets of downtown McAllen; a news site compared it to a celebration after a high-school-football victory.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
7 July 2025
-
The music was lively, and the people were friendly.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
Iris Delgado, 33, has strolled the Home Depot parking lot nearly every day with a cart of water bottles for day laborers and a cellphone to occasionally livestream.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
-
In other words, curiosity seekers can stroll by the Littrells’ house with their feet in the water, but can’t stop to hang out and grab some rays.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Reporters were not allowed to attend the meeting, but the raucous crowd could be heard from outside.—
Vanessa Romo,
NPR,
7 July 2025
-
Johnson was then lauded with the award statuette, to another round of raucous applause.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knock (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20%28about%29. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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