verb
Meaning 1
To try to find; look around; search.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The hounds cast about for the fox's trail.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
cast about
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
verb
Meaning 2
To plan; plot; contrive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
search anxiously
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: beat about, cast around
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: research, search, explore
History
Etymology
From cast (“to try”) + about, perhaps dissimulated from becast (“to cast about, plot”). Compare also Old English costian (“to try, examine”). More at cast, costen.