rover

1 of 2

noun (1)

ro·​ver ˈrō-vər 

: pirate

rover

2 of 2

noun (2)

rov·​er ˈrō-vər 

1

: a random or long-distance mark in archery

—usually used in plural

2

: wanderer, roamer

3

: a player who is not assigned to a specific position on a team and who plays wherever needed

4

: a vehicle for exploring the surface of an extraterrestrial body (such as the moon or Mars)

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• traveller
• traveler
• nomad
• wanderer
• drifter
• roamer
• wayfarer

Examples of rover in a Sentence

Noun (2)

ever since he developed a strong case of wanderlust in college, he's been a rover

a story of the days when sea rovers plied the Caribbean

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Their three robotic rovers, outfitted with an array of cutting-edge imagery gear including time-of-flight cameras, helped the team generate an atlas of 3D maps of the site - from its skylight to its inner passageways. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Specifically, the Eufy Marswalker is a rover companion for the Eufy RoboVac Omni S2, a high-end robot vacuum and mop hybrid that also made its debut at IFA. —PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2025

After over 50 years of additional research, discoveries, and technological breakthroughs, the plan is now to go where no lunar rover has gone before. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025

Perseverance was built upon previous rover designs like Opportunity and Curiosity, but with a sharper focus on astrobiology and the long-term goal of returning Martian samples to Earth. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Middle Dutch, from roven to rob; akin to Old English rēafian to reave — more at reave

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rover

• sea rover

Rhymes for rover

• clover
• drover
• over
• prover
• stover
• trover
• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover

Kids Definition

rover

1 of 2 noun

ro·​ver ˈrō-vər 

: pirate entry 1

rover

2 of 2 noun

rov·​er ˈrō-vər 

: a person who roves around : roamer