as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
he gads about town every Saturday, flirting and gossiping with various shopkeepers and locals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in gypsy
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
she was a thoughtful gadabout, always picking up souvenirs for her friends from wherever her travels took her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in peripatetic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gad (about)
New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
The giggling gadabout who dies penniless.
—Cory Oldweiler, Star Tribune, 11 Dec. 2020
The wild career of David Johansen — New York Dolls frontman, punk gadabout, occasional actor, and Buster Poindexter portrayer — will be the focus of an upcoming documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
For those of us who won’t be joining in the sybaritic excursion, Matches is bringing the Riviera gadabout vibes to all with capsule collections of women’s, men’s and home products curated by Sciò and Rabensteiner.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 5 May 2022
But a linesman stepped in and prevented the gadabout angler from bringing in the catch.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2021
He was inundated with offers and tried to avoid being typecast as the likable gadabout.
—BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2021
Writer, comedian, and social gadabout Lucas Murphy sits down with friends and contemporaries to solve the New York Times crossword puzzle.
—Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2020
So, a solar charging system fits perfectly with your gadabout persona.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2020
Noun
Hardly the schedule of a social gadabout.
—New York Times, 5 Aug. 2021
The giggling gadabout who dies penniless.
—Cory Oldweiler, Star Tribune, 11 Dec. 2020
The wild career of David Johansen — New York Dolls frontman, punk gadabout, occasional actor, and Buster Poindexter portrayer — will be the focus of an upcoming documentary co-directed by Martin Scorsese.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2023
For those of us who won’t be joining in the sybaritic excursion, Matches is bringing the Riviera gadabout vibes to all with capsule collections of women’s, men’s and home products curated by Sciò and Rabensteiner.
—Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 5 May 2022
But a linesman stepped in and prevented the gadabout angler from bringing in the catch.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Nov. 2021
He was inundated with offers and tried to avoid being typecast as the likable gadabout.
—BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2021
Writer, comedian, and social gadabout Lucas Murphy sits down with friends and contemporaries to solve the New York Times crossword puzzle.
—Savannah Eadens, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2020
So, a solar charging system fits perfectly with your gadabout persona.
—The Editors, Field & Stream, 10 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gad (about)
Verb
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Stray cats are all over the nation, roaming people's backyards and sometimes redistributing themselves to a new home.—
Krystal Nurse,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
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About 1,800 pandas live in the wild, roaming mountain ranges in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, WWF says.—
Chris Lau,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Blending biography and criticism, Plunkett shows how the circumstances of Frost’s peripatetic life gave rise to some of his most successful poems.—
Maggie Doherty,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
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Books Dorothy Parker’s Hollywood Years, In Focus Christopher J. Scalia Gail Crowther takes us on tours of the places that shaped Parker’s peripatetic times in Hollywood, where stars gathered in a decadent community.—
Daniel Foster,
National Review,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Thirty years earlier, in 1995, on the weekend before Quebec’s second referendum on independence, my family and I went to Montreal to wander the city, to try to sense what Quebeckers were feeling, but mostly just to be there.—
Ken Dryden,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2025
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Keep an eye out for chachalaca, green jays, Altamira orioles, and the occasional rare avian visitor that wanders in from faraway.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Surgical services include seven operating rooms, three procedure rooms, a post-anesthesia care unit and an ambulatory care unit.—
Chase Jordan,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Jan. 2025
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Several ambulatory surgery centers run by Baptist Health South Florida, including in Coral Gables, Kendall, Miami Beach, Plantation and South Miami, were also recognized for being some of the top 31 ambulatory surgery centers in the country.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The new van wraps nomads in warm, homey comfort trickled down from the incomparable Venture S motorhome and equips them with a robust 5G connectivity suite and smart home-level control, seamlessly blending the worlds of work, play and just plain everyday living.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Jan. 2025
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The delays have turned buyers and their families into nomads — moving from one expensive rental to another, cramming in with relatives while living out of suitcases — draining their finances and testing their marriages.—
Linda Robertson,
Miami Herald,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The outage occurred during a violent storm on the surface, which caused the ship to rapidly drift in the swells and drag the bell with it.—
Megan McCluskey,
TIME,
1 Mar. 2025
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Even minor sparks or drifting embers can incite nearby foliage or grass, setting off a rapidly spreading fire.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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At the end of it all, Lily Tomlin strolled out and the Oscars, sadly, had just begun.—
Lester Fabian Brathwaite,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
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Downstairs, Adrien Brody strolled in with longtime partner Georgina Chapman, while LaKeith Stanfield arrived hand in hand with his wife.—
Jamila Stewart,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The latest travel trend, known as check-in chicken, is just that, as ambitious travelers take a calculated gamble, delaying checking in for their flight until the last possible minute in an attempt to get the best possible seat without paying extra fees or having airline status.—
Aly Walansky,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2025
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The beverage has also made a strong presence at US airports, another setting where extra hydration would help stressed travelers.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gad (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gad%20%28about%29. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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