rover

1
[ roh-ver ]
See synonyms for rover on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who roves; wanderer.

  2. Archery.

    • a mark selected at random, as in a competition between two archers wandering over a specified area.

    • one of a group of fixed marks at a long distance.

    • an archer who shoots at such a mark.

  1. Croquet. a ball that has been driven through all the arches and needs only to strike the last peg to be out of the game.

  2. British.

    • (at concerts or the like) a person who has a ticket for standing room only.

    • a senior boy scout, 18 years of age or older.

Origin of rover

1
First recorded in 1490–1500; rove1 + -er1

Words Nearby rover

Other definitions for rover (2 of 4)

rover2
[ roh-ver ]

noun
  1. a pirate.

  2. Obsolete. a pirate ship.

Origin of rover

2
First recorded in 1350–1400 for def. 1 and in 1530–40 for def. 2; Middle English rover(e) “pirate,” from Middle Dutch rover(e) or Middle Low German rover “robber,” equivalent to roven “to rob” + -er; cf. reave1; see also -er1

Other definitions for rover (3 of 4)

rover3
[ roh-ver ]

noun
  1. a machine that twists, draws out, and cleans fibers prior to spinning; a roving machine.

  2. a roving-machine operator.

Origin of rover

3
First recorded in 1735–45; rove3 + -er1

Other definitions for Rover (4 of 4)

Rover
[ roh-ver ]

noun
  1. a familiar name for a dog.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rover in a sentence

  • However, several probes—most recently the Curiosity rover—have measured methane in the Martian atmosphere.

    Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas? | Matthew R. Francis | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Jeep steadily gave up a market it had created to rivals, particularly Toyota and Range rover.

    Nationalism on Four Wheels | Clive Irving | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • But the runaway best example of the game is another cluster of British luxury vehicles—Range rover, Land rover and Jaguar.

    Nationalism on Four Wheels | Clive Irving | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The prototype Land rover was designed by a Jeep owner and built on a Jeep chassis.

    Nationalism on Four Wheels | Clive Irving | October 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Knee deep in mud, sweat mixing with rain, they forced the Land rover through the jungle.

    The Original Ebola Hunter | Abby Haglage | September 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The great big dog is named rover, the middle-sized one Brownie, and the little yellow curly one Wienerwurst.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • But once when Hepzebiah fell in the pond after her doll, rover swam in and caught her dress in his mouth and brought her to shore.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • Under the big oak by the brook sat the three happy children with rover, Brownie, and little yellow Wienerwurst.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • rover and Brownie and Wienerwurst lay curled up in their kennels, with their eyes tight shut.

    Seven O'Clock Stories | Robert Gordon Anderson
  • A strange word for the old rover; but we all have a taste for home and the home-like, disguise it how we may.

    Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for rover (1 of 4)

rover1

/ (ˈrəʊvə) /


noun
  1. a person who roves; wanderer

  2. archery a mark selected at random for use as a target

  1. croquet a ball that has been driven through all the hoops but has not yet hit the winning peg

  2. Australian rules football one of the three players in the ruck, usually smaller than the other two, selected for his agility in play

  3. a small remote-controlled vehicle which roams over rough, esp extraterrestrial, terrain taking photographs, gathering rock and soil samples, etc

Origin of rover

1
C15: from rove 1

British Dictionary definitions for rover (2 of 4)

rover2

/ (ˈrəʊvə) /


noun
  1. a pirate or pirate ship

Origin of rover

2
C14: probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from roven to rob

British Dictionary definitions for rover (3 of 4)

rover3

/ (ˈrəʊvə) /


noun
  1. a machine for roving wool, cotton, etc, or a person who operates such a machine

Origin of rover

3
C18: from rove ²

British Dictionary definitions for Rover (4 of 4)

Rover

Rover Scout

/ (ˈrəʊvə) /


noun
  1. British the former name for Venture Scout

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012