Phrasal verb
cast about for
Definition
phrasal verb. to look around quickly or desperately for something you need, like an idea, an excuse, or a physical object.
phrasal verb. to search frantically or widely for something, often an intangible resource such as an explanation, a solution, or a justification.
Examples
“He cast about for an excuse to leave the boring meeting.”
“When the interviewer asked a difficult question, the candidate cast about for the right words to respond.”
“As the company's stock price plummeted, the executive board cast about for a strategy that might restore investor confidence before the quarterly report.”
Examples
simple
“He cast about for an excuse to leave the boring meeting.”
contextual
“When the interviewer asked a difficult question, the candidate cast about for the right words to respond.”
complex
“As the company's stock price plummeted, the executive board cast about for a strategy that might restore investor confidence before the quarterly report.”
Usage
often used with abstract nouns like 'reasons', 'excuses', or 'support'.
Teaching tip
the verb 'cast' comes from fishing or hunting contexts; imagine a fisherman throwing a line in different directions to find a fish.
Pitfall
He casted about for his keys.
He cast about for his keys.
the past tense of 'cast' is 'cast', not 'casted'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
about for
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
cast + about + for + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cast-about-for