Synonyms of knock (about)

knock (about) 1 of 3

verb

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

• roam
• wander
• drift
• stroll
• cruise
• float
• range
• gad (about)
• rove
• meander
• kick around
• traipse
• ramble
• bat
• mill (about or around)
• saunter
• gallivant
• amble
• mooch
• maunder
• dawdle
• stray
• mope
• straggle
• tramp
• vagabond
• hobo

knockabout

2 of 3

adjective

ˈnäk-ə-ˌbau̇t 

as in rollicking

being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way

a knockabout game of football in the mud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rollicking
• boisterous
• raucous
• rowdy
• lively
• rumbustious
• rambunctious
• hell-raising
• carnival
• wild and woolly
• noisy
• robustious
• violent
• raffish
• riotous
• roisterous
• carnivalesque
• screaming
• ruffianly
• larrikin
• exuberant
• uninhibited
• uncontrolled
• bubbly
• wild
• rampageous
• turbulent
• buoyant
• impassioned
• uncontrollable
• effervescent
• unreserved
• undisciplined
• high-spirited
• sprightly
• unrestrained
• rackety
• unmanageable
• strident
• rowdyish
• vivacious
• tempestuous
• intractable
• stormy
• unruly
• obstreperous
• yelling
• ungovernable
• recalcitrant
• loudmouthed
• headstrong
• vociferous
• callithumpian
• willful
• clamorous
• howling
• open-mouthed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• orderly
• solemn
• proper
• sedate
• staid
• somber
• dignified
• sober
• decorous
• placid
• silent
• quiet
• restrained
• seemly
• peaceful
• controlled
• composed
• calm
• serene
• noiseless
• tranquil
• imperturbable
• collected
• unruffled
• reasonable
• moderate
• hushed
• soundless
• repressed
• unflappable
• temperate
• subdued
• stolid
• inhibited
• constrained
• phlegmatic
• stoic
• impassive
• detached
• indifferent
• depressed
• aloof
• self-controlled

knockabout

3 of 3

noun

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

• nomad
• wanderer
• traveler
• drifter
• gadabout
• wayfarer
• vagabond
• roamer
• rambler
• bird of passage
• rover
• maunderer
• stroller
• passenger
• hobo
• laggard
• migrant
• straggler
• loiterer
• tramp
• sojourner
• sightseer
• lingerer
• bum
• vagrant
• transient
• saunterer
• ambler

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• resident
• settler
• inhabitant
• dweller
• homebody
• denizen
• habitant

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of knock (about)

Adjective

The style is almost knockabout, with a color palette reminiscent of Coralie Fargeat, but quickly evolves into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 May 2026

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

But the knockabout violence has the effect of steamrolling the wit. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 June 2026

Seeing a knockabout comedy set outdoors is a whole different barrel of laughs. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026

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