as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
we knocked about from town to town, looking for work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in rollicking
being rough or noisy in a high-spirited way
a knockabout game of football in the mud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in gypsy
a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination
the book is one writer's journey of self-discovery as a restless knockabout
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock (about)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Adjective
Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock (about)
Verb
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Tesla’s robotaxis will roam city streets, and humanoid robots dubbed Optimus will perform everyday tasks.—
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Depending on the weather and other conditions such as wildfires, rattlesnakes may roam at any time of the day or night.—
Adjective
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Joy’s jazzy, smoky version of the Marvin Gaye classic, coupled with her velvety vocals, sparked another rollicking ovation led by John who was the first to stand up.—
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His setlist, a rollicking walk-down-memory-lane of solo hits, NKOTB favorites, standards, show tunes and cover songs, showcased his range as an entertainer, musical virtuoso and keen collaborator.—
Verb
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Across the street, walking to their apartments, Marta Becerra, 50, and Margarita Mota, 60, said people from the parking structure had wandered into their apartment complex, stealing bicycles and other items from people’s porches.—
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Any Colorado wolves that wander into Utah, New Mexico or Arizona will be retrieved and brought back to the Centennial State, under agreements state wildlife officials inked with those neighboring states.—
Adjective
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Even amid the more boisterous parts of the track, the speakers pick out the subtleties.—
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Elizabeth is friendly and warm, but not as boisterous as Olivia.—
Verb
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The Switch's most famous durability issue has been the Joy-Con controllers that have experienced drifting problems, but that's only part of the story here.—
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The smoke has drifted south and east, creating moderate air quality levels for a large swath of central and southeastern states, according to AirNow.gov.—
Adjective
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In lieu of bunking in the 4,000-square-foot Lord House, built in 1962 just off of Mulholland Drive, rent it out by the hour and host a lively pool party.—
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Thus began a lively rivalry with Lee, who quickly learned Clemens possesses a killer serve.—
Verb
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The elephant strolled in from the nearby national park, Kha Yai, and is a familiar sight in the Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand, the Associated Press reported.—
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It’s said that as a young and then unknown designer, Christian Dior, strolled past the Hôtel Plaza Athénée on a breezy afternoon.—
Adjective
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That 2-1 defeat was a stinger — Tōko Koga’s decisive goal in the 50th minute hushed an otherwise raucous San Diego crowd.—
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The 16th annual Big Slick weekend publicly kicked off at The K with a raucous celebrity softball game, led by hosts Paul Rudd, Rob Riggle, Jason Sudeikis, Eric Stonestreet, David Koechner and Heidi Gardner — plus all of their closest friends.—
Cite this Entry
“Knock (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20%28about%29. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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