rove

¹ American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb (used without object)

roved, roving

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

   Synonyms:

   stray, amble, stroll

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verb (used with object)

roved, roving

1. to wander over or through; traverse.

   to rove the woods.

noun

1. an act or instance of roving.

rove ² American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb

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

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rove ³ American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb (used with object)

roved, roving

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.

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noun

1. British. roving.

rove ¹ British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. to wander about (a place) with no fixed direction; roam

2. (intr) (of the eyes) to look around; wander

3. to show a widespread amorous interest in the opposite sex

4. (intr) Australian rules football to play as a rover

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noun

1. the act of roving

rove ² British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

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

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noun

1. wool, cotton, etc, thus prepared

rove ³ British  

/ rəʊv /

noun

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

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rove ⁴ British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of reeve 2

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Related Words

See roam.

Etymology

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 rove³

First recorded in 1690–1700; of obscure origin

Explanation

To rove is to wander around, often aimlessly. You may like to rove at work or school, but chances are you’ve probably got somewhere you’re supposed to be. Roving can be a way of life. Someone who roves may not have a permanent home, and they may wander from town to town in search of food or work. Rove can also refer to other types of wandering. A roving reporter wanders the streets looking for people to interview. At a crowded party, your eyes might rove around the room as you look for someone you know — or someone you’d like to meet. And, as you fall asleep, your mind might rove over the events of the day.

Example Sentences

Crucially, Rove went on, Boritt helped them inhabit that history through the eyes of its combatants on both sides—young men, many of them still teenagers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

If he changes his tone this time, Rove advised, “he’ll find he can get more from both parties in Congress with honey than with vinegar.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2025

Rove, of course, was famously called out on-air by then-Fox anchor Megyn Kelly on election night 2012 for being grossly off with his read on the outcome of that year’s election.

From Slate • Nov. 6, 2024

New York Times Magazine published an article in 2004 by reporter Ron Suskind who interviewed a senior administration aide, presumed to be Karl Rove, also known as Bush's Brain:

From Salon • Oct. 7, 2024

And thou, young friend! from thy forsaken home Rove not long time remote, thy treasures left At mercy of those proud, lest they divide And waste the whole, rend’ring thy voyage vain.

From The Odyssey of Homer by Cowper, William