rove

¹

[ rohv ]

verb (used without object)

, roved, rov·ing.

1. to wander about without definite destination; move hither and thither at random, especially over a wide area.

   Synonyms: stray, amble, stroll

verb (used with object)

, roved, rov·ing.

1. to wander over or through; traverse:

   to rove the woods.

noun

1. an act or instance of roving.

rove

²

[ rohv ]

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of reeve ².

rove

³

[ rohv ]

verb (used with object)

, roved, rov·ing.

1. to form (slivers of wool, cotton, etc.) into slightly twisted strands in a preparatory process of spinning.
2. to draw fibers or the like through an eye or other small opening.
3. to attenuate, compress, and twist slightly in carding.

noun

1. British. roving ².

rove

¹

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of reeve 2

rove

²

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. to wander about (a place) with no fixed direction; roam
2. intr (of the eyes) to look around; wander
3. have a roving eye
   to show a widespread amorous interest in the opposite sex
4. intr Australian rules football to play as a rover

noun

1. the act of roving

rove

³

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. tr to pull out and twist (fibres of wool, cotton, etc) lightly, as before spinning or in carding

noun

1. wool, cotton, etc, thus prepared

rove

⁴

/ rəʊv /

noun

1. a metal plate through which a rivet is passed and then clenched over

Word History and Origins

Origin of rove¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; originally, “to shoot at a random target”; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse rāfa “to stray”; but compare also Old French raver “to roam”

Origin of rove²

First recorded in 1690–1700; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of rove¹

C15 roven (in archery) to shoot at a target chosen at random (C16: to wander, stray), from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic rāfa to wander

Origin of rove²

C18: of obscure origin

Origin of rove³

C15: from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic ro

Synonym Study

See roam.

Example Sentences

So do comedians like Jimmy Kimmel, whose roving segments regularly entertain the audience with gleeful reminders of how little the public knows about . . . everything.

From Salon

Hofsø, a roving news reporter based in Oslo, was well-known even before joining TV BRA.

From BBC

He roved the stage and gestured frequently, and, like the others he got a standing ovation but didn't hang around long to soak it up, heading for the wings after just 30 seconds.

From BBC

Boylan, who had not ordered a roving night watch as people slept, was convicted in 2023 of seaman’s manslaughter and sentenced in May to four years in federal prison.

From Los Angeles Times

But, in a stroke of political savvy, Harrison leaned into the image, campaigning from town to town in a kind of roving bacchanal.

From Los Angeles Times