cast about

verb

cast about; casting about; casts about

intransitive verb

: to look around : seek

cast about for a seat

transitive verb

: to lay plans concerning : contrive

cast about how he was to go

Synonyms

• cast around (for)
• chase (down)
• forage (for)
• hunt
• look up
• pursue
• quest
• search (for or out)
• seek
• shop (for)

Examples of cast about in a Sentence

cast about for an answer to the question of why so many people had ignored the victim's cries for help

Recent Examples on the Web

President Trump’s aggressive moves against transgender rights and diversity, equity and inclusion programs have left the Democratic Party casting about for a strategy for how to respond. —Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025

That has left Republicans casting about for ways to offset those costs. —Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

In the final, pathetic weeks of his failed presidency, Joe Biden has been casting about desperately for a positive legacy. —Jack Butler, National Review, 12 Jan. 2025

Quick Read Deep Read ( 7 Min. ) President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel, a fierce loyalist, to be the next director of the FBI has sent politicians casting about for historical comparisons. —Cameron Joseph, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

cast about

verb

: to look around here and there : seek