roving

1 of 2

adjective

rov·​ing ˈrō-viŋ How to pronounce roving (audio)
1
a
: not restricted as to location or area of concern
b
: capable of being shifted from place to place : mobile
2
: inclined to ramble or stray
a roving fancy

roving

2 of 2

noun

: a slightly twisted roll or strand of usually textile fibers

Examples of roving in a Sentence

Adjective a roving substitute teacher who works in a different district every day
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Ironically, this teleporting spike ends up a roving metaphor, too malleable and too removed to echo the characters in the foreground. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 Curate Your Adventure ArtWorks created this new roving festival, which takes place over the course of one day at three unique venues. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 June 2023 In addition, the proposal calls for placing at least one safety officer at every middle school and hiring two more roving officers to elementary schools. oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023 Kevol worked for many years curating dining experiences as part of a band of roving chefs. Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 With Biadasz back Monday from a high-ankle sprain, the team opted to make a straight substitution at center, kicking McGovern into a roving, romper role, while leaving Peters and Smith as is. Dallas News, 16 Jan. 2023 The Board concluded in 2020 that Boylan and Truth Aquatics failed to have crew members conduct a roving watch of the ship as is required by the U.S. Coast Guard. Richard Wintonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2022 All of the costumes are made in-house by six tailors and seamstresses plus a roving style team of 100 people who travel to various ships for costume updates. Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2022 Her novel follows the journey of Isaac and Bellatine, siblings who inherit an unlikely ancestral gift: Thistlefoot, a magical, roving, sentient house with chicken legs that joins them on their cross-country tour with their puppet act. Rachel Raczka, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'roving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

rove entry 1

Noun

rove entry 4

First Known Use

Adjective

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of roving was in 1565

Dictionary Entries Near roving

Cite this Entry

“Roving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roving. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

roving

noun
rov·​ing
ˈrō-viŋ
: a slightly twisted roll or strand of textile fibers

More from Merriam-Webster on roving

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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