# gad around

CEFR C2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gad-around
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to travel from place to place for fun or pleasure, especially when you should be doing something more serious.

For teachers: to travel or wander restlessly and aimlessly for pleasure or social activity; often carries a pejorative nuance of being irresponsible or frivolous.

## Examples

- She spends all her weekends gadding around the city.
- Instead of finishing his thesis, he spent the entire summer gadding around Europe with his friends.
- While the rest of the staff worked overtime to meet the deadline, the manager was seen gadding around various networking events and cocktail parties.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He gads around to the shops." but "He gads around the shops." — the phrase is often used with a direct object representing the area or location, so 'to' is unnecessary.

## Usage notes

- often used with 'about' instead of 'around' in British English; usually implies the subject is wasting time.
- Teaching tip: the word 'gad' is an old verb meaning to wander; it is rarely used today outside of this phrasal verb and the related noun 'gadabout'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.