rove

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈrōv 

roved; roving

intransitive verb

: to move aimlessly : roam

transitive verb

: to wander through or over

rove

2 of 5

noun (1)

: an act or instance of wandering

rove

3 of 5

past tense and past participle of reeve

rove

4 of 5

verb (2)

roved; roving

transitive verb

: to join (textile fibers) with a slight twist and draw out into roving

rove

5 of 5

noun

: roving

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bat
• cruise
• drift
• float
• gad (about)
• gallivant
• galavant
• kick around
• knock (about)
• maunder
• meander
• mooch
• ramble
• range
• roam
• traipse
• wander

Choose the Right Synonym for rove

wander, roam, ramble, rove, traipse, meander mean to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose.

wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

Examples of rove in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Last summer, the pair launched King BBQ as a roving pop-up with their chef de cuisine, Brandon Olson. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 7 Sep. 2023

The memory of that other space consecrated her own roving tabernacle of Black performance. —Carina Del Valle Schorske, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2023

The buffet, and roving carts of food from servers, feature over 100 options. —Megan Wood, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2023

Its roving ground robot, aptly named Polly, moves between rows of plants and blasts pulses of air to prompt pollination. —Molly Glick, Scientific American, 17 July 2023

Jim Dines, her owner, who had been roving fore and aft all day, finally had a moment to talk. —William Booth, Washington Post, 24 July 2023

But even then, the visitors will ignore the warnings from the flags and roving lifeguard patrols who will alert them about staying out of the water. —John Sharp | [e-mail], al, 15 July 2023

In the wholesale looting that has accompanied fighting in the capital, Khartoum, a city of 5 million, a roving band of strangers surrounded him in his yard Tuesday, stabbing him to death in front of his family. —Ellen Knickmeyer, Anchorage Daily News, 1 May 2023

Trolls, wind-up dolls, Legos, and flocks of Barbies and Kens roved the neighborhood on Thursday in the spirit of this year’s theme: Land of Toys. —Elena Giardina, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Aug. 2023

Noun

While the evening roves among the varied aesthetics of its contributors in a way that at times feels scattered, a consciousness of history grounds and guides it. —Siobhan Burke, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

earlier, to shoot at random, wander, of unknown origin

Verb (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

circa 1550, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1782, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1789, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing rove

• rove beetle
• eyes rove

• rove beetle
• eyes rove

Kids Definition

rove

verb

ˈrōv

roved; roving

: roam sense 1