All cast about synonyms

verb cast about

• grub — the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle.
• beat — If you beat someone or something, you hit them very hard.
• hunt — to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing.
• ravage — to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ravages: a face ravaged by grief.
• plunder — to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc.: to plunder a town.
• seek — to go in search or quest of: to seek the truth.
• ransack — to search thoroughly or vigorously through (a house, receptacle, etc.): They ransacked the house for the missing letter.
• search — to go or look through (a place, area, etc.) carefully in order to find something missing or lost: They searched the woods for the missing child. I searched the desk for the letter.
• poke — to prod or push, especially with something narrow or pointed, as a finger, elbow, stick, etc.: to poke someone in the ribs.
• handle — a part of a thing made specifically to be grasped or held by the hand.
• root — Elihu [el-uh-hyoo] /ˈɛl əˌhyu/ (Show IPA), 1845–1937, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Nobel Peace Prize 1912.
• fish — (loosely) any of various other aquatic animals.
• touch — to put the hand, finger, etc., on or into contact with (something) to feel it: He touched the iron cautiously.
• pry — to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something: to pry into the personal affairs of others.
• manipulate — to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an unfair manner: to manipulate people's feelings.
• finger — any of the terminal members of the hand, especially one other than the thumb.
• scrabble — to scratch or scrape, as with the claws or hands.
• trace — either of the two straps, ropes, or chains by which a carriage, wagon, or the like is drawn by a harnessed horse or other draft animal.
• inquire — to seek information by questioning; ask: to inquire about a person.
• question — a sentence in an interrogative form, addressed to someone in order to get information in reply.
• probe — to search into or examine thoroughly; question closely: to probe one's conscience.
• winnow — to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., especially by throwing it into the air and allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away impurities.
• trail — to drag or let drag along the ground or other surface; draw or drag along behind.
• sift — to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve.
• quest — a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something: a quest for uranium mines; a quest for knowledge.
• delve — If you delve into something, you try to discover new information about it.
• prospect — Usually, prospects. an apparent probability of advancement, success, profit, etc. the outlook for the future: good business prospects.
• study — a room, in a house or other building, set apart for private study, reading, writing, or the like.
• frisk — to dance, leap, skip, or gambol; frolic: The dogs and children frisked about on the lawn.
• ferret — a narrow tape or ribbon, as of silk or cotton, used for binding, trimming, etc.
• gun for — a weapon consisting of a metal tube, with mechanical attachments, from which projectiles are shot by the force of an explosive; a piece of ordnance.
• leave no stone unturned — the hard substance, formed of mineral matter, of which rocks consist.
• look for — to turn one's eyes toward something or in some direction in order to see: He looked toward the western horizon and saw the returning planes.
• look over — the act of looking: a look of inquiry.
• shake down — an act or instance of shaking, rocking, swaying, etc.
• track down — a structure consisting of a pair of parallel lines of rails with their crossties, on which a railroad train, trolley, or the like runs.
• turn upside down — invert
• beat the bushes — a low plant with many branches that arise from or near the ground.
• bird-dog — to follow, watch carefully, or investigate.
• run after — to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground.
• sniff out — detect
• feel — to perceive or examine by touch.
• foul up — something that is foul.
• go to pieces — a separate or limited portion or quantity of something: a piece of land; a piece of chocolate.
• screw up — a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, especially by means of a screwdriver.
• come apart at the seams — come unstitched
• drop the ball — a spherical or approximately spherical body or shape; sphere: He rolled the piece of paper into a ball.
• fall down — to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
• slip up — an act or instance of slipping.
• trip up — a journey or voyage: to win a trip to Paris.