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 nomad
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
Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
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.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017
Noun
This new film is a very black comedy that is also a heist story with some bloody violence, along with a bit of knockabout slapstick and a theme of family bonds.
—Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock (about)
Verb
-
Or for the suggestion that Chinese intelligence operatives were roaming near sensitive sites with impunity.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Elephants, hippos, buffalo, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, impalas and warthogs — all roaming free just a stone’s throw from our dusty 4×4 in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His lightning guitar work — alongside a mandolinist, fiddler, upright-bassist and banjo player who are not too shabby on their respective strings themselves — delivered a rollicking half-hour that gave the fans in the bleachers plenty to dance to.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
-
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.—
Gail Mitchell,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2023
Noun
-
Increasingly erratic precipitation since the 1980s has forced many nomads to come in from the desert.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Another camp speculates that these forebears met human nomads on the trail of big game and started traveling with them, eventually arriving in China via Mongolia through their supporting role as war dogs.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His resume also includes finding a patient with dementia who wandered away from a care facility and tracking down a bank robbery suspect.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
In New York City alone, perfume lovers can wander into beloved destinations like Scent Bar or Aedes Perfumery to explore shelves of hard-to-find bottles.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Israeli interviewees in Theroux’s documentary are portrayed as boisterous and open about their plans to fully occupy the West Bank and promote Palestinian relocation.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Paycom Center, which seats 18,203 for Oklahoma City Thunder games, was filled with boisterous Nebraska fans.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike most comets, which originate in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, this icy wanderer formed around another star before drifting into our cosmic neighborhood.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Spader plays Graham, an enigmatic wanderer who inserts himself into the lives of his old friend John (Peter Gallagher), his wife Ann (Andie MacDowell) and her sister Cynthia (San Giacomo), drawing out all manner of confessions and revelations.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Video of the rescue shows the Cutter Mackinaw’s crane hoisting the snowmobile off a drifting piece of ice as the slab steadily shrinks beneath it before the vehicle is lifted safely onto the vessel.—
Ashley Carnahan,
FOXNews.com,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Severe freezes in the mid-1890s resulted in a decline in the citrus industry, causing residents to drift away and leaving only 10 families living in Ethel in 1910.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Family discussions will be lively.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Outside of sports, the college town has a lively music scene, numerous craft breweries, and a variety of family-friendly activities, including the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Bear Hollow Zoo.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock (about).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock%20%28about%29. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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