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Glite Dictionary
to cast about

to cast about

3 7.2
To look around or think hard to find something you need
  • phrasal verb
  • /kæst əˈbaʊt/
translation icon : buscar
  • In a panic, she began to cast about her house for her lost keys.
  • cast about for an alternative

Examples

  • Ahmadinejad was forced to cast about for an alternative.

    Academic text (2012)

  • They were silent for a time, and he cast about for another topic of conversation.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I imagine he'll cast about for another position where organic methods will be approved.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Or shall I just cast about for another skipper?

    Jungle Cruise (2021)

  • His eyes cast about the room for some suitable hardware substitute.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Mona started casting about for something to say.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I'd stopped casting about in my mind for some agency or authority that would right these wrongs.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • As I cast about for a field site, my attention was repeatedly drawn to Villa Pagador.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Pandora decided that she had, perhaps, said the wrong thing and cast about for a more amusing and less touchy topic.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • When he lost his job, he had to cast about for new employment opportunities.

Synonyms

to look
vsto cast about
∞ 1.0

To try to find someone or something

is the same idea but with added anxious effort and urgency
to search
vsto cast about
∞ 1.0

To try to find something or someone by looking carefully

is broader but the key adds anxious effort and need
to hunt
vsto cast about
190 1.2

To look carefully for something or someone

is similar but the key stresses anxious urgency over active pursuit
to seek out
vsto cast about
122 3.0

Look for and find a person or thing, often with effort

is similar but its focus is anxious searching rather than targeted finding
to scour
vsto cast about
57 5.1

To search a place carefully to find someone or something

is like thorough search but the key adds anxious need and worry
on the lookout for
vsto cast about
47 3.4

Watching carefully to find someone or something

is ongoing vigilant watching while the key is anxious immediate searching
to grope for
vsto cast about
6 7.1

To feel with your hands to find something in the dark

is more physical method while the key is anxious mental searching
to cast around
vsto cast about
1 5.6

To look in a worried way for an idea or solution

is the same meaning but uses a different preposition form
to look high and low
vsto cast about
  • Informal
1 3.9

To search everywhere for something that is lost

is similar but the key highlights anxious searching for something needed
to beat about
vsto cast about
  • UK
7.4

Move around looking for something in a worried or confused way

is anxious but focuses on effort rather than calm searching
to rout out
vsto cast about
  • UK
5.5

To find something after a careful search

is more about thorough finding than anxious looking around
to ferret around
vsto cast about
  • Informal
7.4

To search carefully through things in a small place like a bag or box

is similar but the key stresses anxiety and need rather than curiosity

How Thorough

to scour
57 5.1
to search
∞ 1.0
to cast about
3 7.2
to look around
552 1.0
to glance
299 1.5

Surface Forms

cast about infinitive
cast about past
cast about past participle
casting about present participle
casts about third person singular

Morphology

cast + about

The components 'cast' (to throw) and 'about' (around) give a metaphorical image of 'throwing attention around', which points toward the idea of searching or looking around. However, this figurative extension into a phrasal-verb meaning ('search for') is not fully literal or predictable for a B1 learner without exposure, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Cast about may come from the image of someone who cast a net about, throwing it around to find fish or objects. That's why it now means 'to search' or 'look around' for an idea, chance, or thing.