roving

¹

[ roh-ving ]

adjective

1. roaming or wandering.
2. not assigned or restricted to any particular location, area, topic, etc.:

   a roving editor.

3. not assigned to any particular diplomatic post but having a special mission:

   a roving ambassador.

roving

²

[ roh-ving ]

noun

1. a soft strand of fiber that has been twisted, attenuated, and freed of foreign matter preparatory to its conversion into yarn.
2. the final phase of carding, in which this is done.

Other Words From

• roving·ly adverb
• roving·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of roving¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; rove ¹ + -ing ²

Origin of roving²

First recorded in 1785–95; rove ³ + -ing ¹

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

It has left people who do the actual work that makes this country run fearful they will no longer be able to do so for fear that roving bands of immigrants will both replace them and steal from them.

From Salon

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

From BBC

Hadorn said she moved locations in Lower Arroyo Park after officials tried to charge her a fee associated with renting out a specific area of the park — a category she doesn’t think applies to her roving band of children.

From Los Angeles Times

Homendy said a safety management system sets out common sense rules and procedures about what training must take place, what emergency drills must be done and how roving watches should be in place to detect fires.

From Los Angeles Times