rogue

noun \ ˈrōg \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Examples: rogue in a Sentence

Definition of rogue

1 : vagrant, tramp

2 : a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel

3 : a mischievous person : scamp

4 : a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave

5 : an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation

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roguish

play \ˈrō-gish\ adjective

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roguishly

adverb

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roguishness

noun

See rogue defined for English-language learners

See rogue defined for kids

Examples of rogue in a Sentence

Many of the vagabonds were rogues and cheaters of various kinds, and formed a subcommunity on the fringes of official society. —Charles Barber, Early Modern English, 1976
Cartier decided that the two boys were a choice pair of rogues who would probably try to run him aground if taken as pilots, and that he would dispense with their services. —Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1971
His account of their discoveries in the low life of a seaport town would have made a charming book, and in the various characters that came their way the student might easily have found matter for a very complete dictionary of rogues. —W. Somerset Maugham, Moon and Sixpence, 1919
He's a lovable old rogue.
a rogue who had nothing but contempt for people who made their living honestly

Recent Examples of rogue from the Web

Even with Jessica's warning in mind, intrepid adventurers may still decide to go rogue.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "A Beginner’s Guide to Communicating With Spirits on the Other Side," 19 June 2018
The unmasking of Jim Comey as an FBI Director apparently gone rogue.

— Fox News, "Eagles coach addresses canceled White House," 7 June 2018
When the mission goes badly and Hunt threatens to go rogue, the IMF assigns another agent (Superman Henry Cavill) to watch over Hunt and keep him in line.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Summer movies 2018: Here's when 'Ocean's 8,' 'Incredibles 2,' 'Jurassic World' and more hit theaters," 6 June 2018
This new silent-but-deadly Teddy is yet another loose cannon on a show about an entire cast of characters going rogue.

— william lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Westworld’ Episode 7 recap: 5 things to know about ‘Les Écorchés' and what lies beneath the surface," 4 June 2018
Two cows briefly went rogue on Friday afternoon until officials were able to corral the pair into the parking lot of the Olathe District Activity Complex.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Will Irish farmers have to diaper their cows after Effin dung case? | The Kansas City Star," 23 May 2018
The show starts off with a government agent of some kind going rogue in order to protect a young girl who’s supposed to be abducted to become a test subject and maybe save the human race.

— jacob kastrenakes, The Verge, "New trailers: Bohemian Rhapsody, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, and more," 19 May 2018
These can be signs that your immune system has gone rogue.

— Houston Chronicle, "YouDocs0514," 13 May 2018
As the media attention gets crazy, Prince Harry threatens to go rogue with a statement telling people to leave Meghan alone.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "79 Important Moments During Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Lifetime Movie," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rogue

of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

rogue

verb

Definition of rogue

rogued; roguing or rogueing

intransitive verb

: to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1766

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

rogue

adjective

Definition of rogue

1 : resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable

capsized by a rogue wave

2 : corrupt, dishonest

rogue cops

3 : of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior

rogue states

See rogue defined for English-language learners

Examples of rogue in a Sentence

Americans assume that our country was built by rogue males but there's more to the breed than wanderlust and rugged individualism. —Florence King, National Review, 27 Aug. 2007
Perhaps more important, defense planners worried for the past year about the instability of the Soviet Union and the nightmare that a rogue Soviet submarine skipper might decide on his own to launch close to 200 warheads at U.S. targets. —John Barry, Newsweek, 3 June 1991
In "The In-Laws," Alan Arkin is a dentist led astray by a rogue C.I.A. operative … , whose son his daughter is marrying, and he winds up dodging bullets on a Caribbean island. —Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, 30 July 1990
a rogue administrator who took bribes to falsify paperwork

Recent Examples of rogue from the Web

Pyongyang has for decades proliferated weapons to rogue states including Iran and Syria, says Bruce Bechtol, a professor of political science at Angelo State University who has authored several books on North Korea.

— jamie tarabay, CNN, "How Trump and Kim made it to 'hello'," 9 June 2018
Like Barack Obama, Mr Trump inherited a country tired of being the world’s policeman, frustrated by jihadists and rogue states like Iran, and worried by the growing challenge from China.

— The Economist, "Donald Trump’s demolition theory of foreign policy won’t work," 7 June 2018
Most of it is, and was, made imprecisely by rogue chemists in clandestine labs overseas, often in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

— terry demio, Cincinnati.com, "Fentanyl deaths up 1,000% since 2013, so much so that even heroin's supply is dwarfed," 6 June 2018
In 2010, officials cancelled the race due to safety concerns, but rogue fromage fiends have continued to stage the event regardless.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Holey Swiss: Man Breaks Record in British Downhill Cheese Race," 4 June 2018
War and Peace The fact that all of this is going to go down in rogue-state Russia promises to add a simmering menace to the proceedings.

— roger bennett, WSJ, "Why You Should Watch the World Cup," 11 May 2018
Somodevilla/Getty Images In a very dramatic week of diplomacy, the Trump administration canceled one nuclear arms control agreement, deciding, instead, that sanctioning a rogue state is a superior approach.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "The week’s 4 biggest political stories, explained," 11 May 2018
The idea was that the United States would forge a consensus among allies and great powers, then use that consensus as the starting point of talks with whatever rogue state was troubling it.

— New York Times, "How Trump’s Mixed Signals Complicate America’s Role in the World," 27 Apr. 2018
My suspicion is there are rogue people in the West Wing and former officials who got pushed out who are running disinformation campaigns,’’ said Blain Rethmeier, an ally of both.

— josh dawsey and nick miroff, BostonGlobe.com, "‘We’re closed!’: Trump directs his anger over immigration at Homeland Security secretary," 25 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1835

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

Synonyms

crooked, deceptive, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded;

Antonyms

aboveboard, honest, straight;

Near Antonyms

conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright;

forthright, straightforward;

deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, false;

artful, beguiling, cagey (also cagy), crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, subtle, wily;

defrauding, devious, furtive, slippery, sneaking, sneaky, trickish, tricky;

insidious, perfidious, treacherous;

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

Rogue

geographical name \ ˈrōg \

Definition of Rogue

river about 200 miles (320 kilometers) long in southwestern Oregon rising in Crater Lake National Park and flowing west and southwest into the Pacific Ocean