From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcast about/around for something phrasal verbTHINK ABOUTto try hard to think of the right thing to do or say She cast about frantically for an excuse. Telecoms companies are casting around for ways of recouping huge losses. → cast→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
cast about/around for • They began casting about for an alternative.• We can adapt our theories, or cast around for fresh ones, to suit our intuitions.• Again she began casting around for help.• The constitution prohibits him from staying another, so he is casting about for ways to hold on to power. 