rogue

[ rohg ]
See synonyms for: roguerogues on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel.

  2. a playfully mischievous person; scamp: The youngest boys are little rogues.

  1. a tramp or vagabond.

  2. a rogue elephant or other animal of similar disposition.

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

verb (used without object),rogued, ro·guing.
  1. to live or act as a rogue.

verb (used with object),rogued, ro·guing.
  1. to cheat.

  2. to uproot or destroy (plants, etc., that do not conform to a desired standard).

  1. to perform this operation upon: to rogue a field.

adjective
  1. (of an animal) having an abnormally savage or unpredictable disposition, as a rogue elephant.

  2. no longer obedient, belonging, or accepted and hence not controllable or answerable; renegade: a rogue cop; a rogue union local.

  1. dangerous and unpredictable: a rogue snowstorm.

  2. of or noting a nation or state that defies international treaties, laws, etc.: rogue states that threaten world peace.

Origin of rogue

1
First recorded in 1555–65; origin uncertain, apparently short for obsolete roger “begging vagabond,” originally thieves' jargon

synonym study For rogue

1. See knave.

Other words for rogue

Other words from rogue

  • outrogue, verb (used with object), out·rogued, out·ro·guing.

Words that may be confused with rogue

Words Nearby rogue

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rogue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rogue

rogue

/ (rəʊɡ) /


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

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

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

    • any inferior or defective specimen

    • (as modifier): rogue heroin

  2. archaic a vagrant

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

    • (as modifier): a rogue elephant

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

    • to identify and remove such plants

Origin of rogue

1
C16: of unknown origin; perhaps related to Latin rogāre to beg

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