Phrasal verb
cast around
Definition
phrasal verb. to look in many different places or try many different ideas to find what you need.
phrasal verb. to search widely or haphazardly for something, whether physical, mental, or metaphorical; often used with 'for'.
Examples
“He is casting around for a new job.”
“The manager began casting around for excuses when the project failed to meet its deadline.”
“As the debate intensified, the politician cast around for a historical precedent that might justify his controversial new policy.”
Examples
simple
“He is casting around for a new job.”
contextual
“The manager began casting around for excuses when the project failed to meet its deadline.”
complex
“As the debate intensified, the politician cast around for a historical precedent that might justify his controversial new policy.”
Usage
usually followed by the preposition 'for' and an object.
Teaching tip
explain the fishing metaphor (casting a line in different directions) to help students visualize the scattered, searching nature of the action.
Pitfall
He casted around for his keys.
He cast around for his keys.
the past tense of 'cast' is 'cast', not 'casted'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
around
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
cast + around + (for) + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cast-around