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

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

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

The format — with its roving cameras and constant cutaway interviews — seemed like a natural choice for an athlete in the era of “30 for 30” and “The Last Dance.”

From Los Angeles Times