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
-
Federal agents are currently roaming cities under the ruse of going after murderers and rapists but are instead pulling anyone who doesn't fit their idea of what an American looks like out of cars, homes and schools using thuggish methods.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Instead, Berke urged the commission to eliminate the practice of allowing customers to roam the street with cocktails in hand.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 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
-
However, the wheels are just intended for minor on-site movements, not for towing on a public road, so this isn't a good choice for would-be nomads.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Best Hotels & Resorts Nomad Hotel Dieter Roelen and Monica Mascaros, the husband-and-wife duo behind Nomad Hotel, spent 20 years living like nomads and traveling around the world.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Her third album, which is self-titled, is a document of wandering.—
Marissa Lorusso,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
-
This meant that the MQ-20 could fly aggressively without the danger of wandering into restricted civilian airspace or high-threat corridors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
It was launched in 2010 by Bernd Schlacher—who had already made a name for himself with Motto bar (home, for a time, to a young bartender called Helmut Lang)—with an all-day menu of comfort-food favorites and boisterous summer evenings when the canal side becomes one of the buzziest parts of town.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Her show has sprouted a range of boisterous Heated Rivalry events and theme nights at clubs in Canada and New York, and guaranteed a second season.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a cast of wanderers, visionaries, and itinerants, the self-educated and self-published, a long lineage of cranks and outcasts, mostly penurious, always opinionated, stretching away into the mists of pseudohistory.—
Hari Kunzru,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This Victorian town of just over 2,000 is a diverse blend of artists, spiritual seekers, motorcyclists, weekend wanderers, and retirees.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Astronomers have detected simple organic molecules drifting through interstellar clouds and preserved in meteorites and comets, indicating that biologically important compounds can form in space and be delivered to planetary surfaces.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Roadways are hazardous due to accumulated, blowing and drifting snow and roads may be icy.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
For 30 minutes, the producers mostly paint with a warm, lively palette, whisking fragments of IDM, ghettotech, and house into a hypnotic swirl.—
Rae-Aila Crumble,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20%28about%29. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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