rogue

American  

[rohg] / roʊg /

adjective

1. no longer obedient, belonging, or accepted and hence not controllable or answerable; renegade.

   They described him as a rogue cop who had abandoned his training.

2. dangerous and unpredictable.

   They were trapped in the house by a rogue snowstorm.

3. of or noting a nation or state that defies international treaties, laws, etc..

   The blame is placed on rogue states that threaten world peace.

4. (of an animal) having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition.

   She helped trap a rogue tiger terrorizing the village.

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noun

1. a dishonest, untrustworthy person; scoundrel.

   We were traveling in secret to avoid running into rogues and thieves.

   Synonyms:

   quack, mountebank, cheat, swindler, trickster, villain

2. a playfully mischievous person; scamp.

   The youngest boys are little rogues.

3. Archaic. a tramp or vagabond.

4. an animal having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition.

5. Biology. a usually inferior organism, especially a plant, varying markedly from the normal.

verb (used with object)

rogued, roguing

1. 1. to uproot or destroy (plants that do not conform to a desired standard).

      Usually, roguing the diseased plants is sufficient to minimize further spread.

   2. to perform this operation upon.

      to rogue a field.

2. to cheat.

verb (used without object)

rogued, roguing

1. to live or act as a scoundrel, vagabond, or scamp.

idioms

1. go rogue, to stop being obedient or predictable; to behave in a way that is not allowed or expected.

   Giving people the tools they need to do their jobs greatly reduces the risk of employees going rogue and using unauthorized services.

   To make more money, the agent went rogue and sold his services to the highest bidder.

rogue British  

/ rəʊɡ /

noun

1. a dishonest or unprincipled person, esp a man; rascal; scoundrel

2. humorous a mischievous or wayward person, often a child; scamp

3. a crop plant which is inferior, diseased, or of a different, unwanted variety

4. 1. any inferior or defective specimen

   2. ( as modifier )

      rogue heroin

5. archaic a vagrant

6. 1. an animal of vicious character that has separated from the main herd and leads a solitary life

   2. ( as modifier )

      a rogue elephant

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verb

1. 1. (tr) to rid (a field or crop) of plants that are inferior, diseased, or of an unwanted variety

   2. to identify and remove such plants

Related Words

See knave.

Other Word Forms

• outrogue verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of rogue

First recorded in 1555–65; origin uncertain, apparently short for obsolete roger “begging vagabond,” originally thieves' jargon

Example Sentences

It has previously highlighted the removal of more than 1,500 rogue officers and staff since 2022 and work such as the V100 project, which uses data to target the most dangerous predators.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Many are concerned that there is insufficient understanding of how to ensure it cannot be misused by bad actors or nudged to go rogue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

"It depends if this is seen as a direct attack on Aramco by the Iranian leadership or a rogue drone that just came close," a source close to the Saudi government told AFP Monday.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

We now have the U.S. attorney’s office not going rogue here, but admitting under oath that it has breached court orders more than 50 times.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

“Attention. We have been robbed by an aboatia, a girl wielding a sword purchased from Amazon, a rogue Queen Mother, and a young man with terrible fashion sense,” Tano’s voice sounds over the intercoms.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• con artist
• crook
• rascal
• swindler
• villain