What does "gadabout" mean?

A person who restlessly moves from place to place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others.

What is a synonym for "gadabout"?

Common synonyms include: ahasuerus, ancient mariner, argonaut, bird of passage, drifter, floater.

//ˈɡædəbaʊt// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A person who restlessly moves from place to place, seeking amusement or the companionship of others.
"I was among the last to board the ferry. ... Chilean tourists, Uruguayan doctors, old Argentine gadabouts of high-society heritage, ladies wearing strident perfumes, families, all of them in those same light blue sneakers, like Smurfs."
2
a restless seeker after amusement or social companionship wordnet

"I've no time to talk to every gadabout. We want no stranger here. Be off, or you may find a dog at your heels."

Deverbal from gad about.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.