rogue

[ rohg ]

/ roʊg /

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See synonyms for: rogue / rogues on Thesaurus.com

noun

a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel.

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

a tramp or vagabond.

a rogue elephant or other animal of similar disposition.

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

verb (used without object), rogued, ro·guing.

to live or act as a rogue.

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

to cheat.

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

to perform this operation upon: to rogue a field.

adjective

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

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

dangerous and unpredictable: a rogue snowstorm.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR rogue

1 villain, trickster, swindler, cheat, mountebank, quack.

See synonyms for rogue on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rogue

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 FROM rogue

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rogue

rogue , rouge

Words nearby rogue

Rogers, Rogers, Ginger, Rogers, Will, Roget, rognon, rogue, rogue dialler, rogue elephant, roguery, rogues' gallery, rogue's march

How to use rogue in a sentence

In addition, the campaign to identify and report rogue traders has led to the closure of almost 4,300 counterfeit-goods workshops in China.
The Unlikely New Champion of Consumer Rights: China|Charu Kasturi|December 17, 2020|Ozy
“Big tech is being scapegoated for fundamental flaws in our rogue capitalist system,” says O’Reilly.
Fair value? Fixing the data economy|Claire Beatty|December 3, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In the 2016 presidential election, several electors went rogue.
San Diego’s Electoral College Crew Gets Ready to Vote|Randy Dotinga|November 27, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The coronavirus forced Wisconsin to opt out of its game with Nebraska this week, causing Nebraska to try to go rogue and schedule a random matchup against Chattanooga.
Coronavirus has hit the face of college football|Jerry Brewer|October 30, 2020|Washington Post

Reining in rogue scientists would also require setting up a way for whistleblowers to report possible unapproved research.
Strict new guidelines lay out a path to heritable human gene editing|Tina Hesman Saey|September 3, 2020|Science News
Closed courthouses, rogue clerks, and misleading statements from the attorney general as Florida welcomes same-sex marriage.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over|Jay Michaelson|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The duo have five of these rogue installations under their belts, with another coming in early 2015.
#Setinthestreet: Your Street Corner Is Their Art Project|James Joiner|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips.
Aging Cuban Exiles And Their Lawmakers Bypassed by White House|Romina Ruiz-Goiriena|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once he graduated in 2006, Simien took a job as a publicity assistant at Rogue, then a division of Focus Features.
‘Dear White People’: How An Ex-Publicist’s Twitter Became One of the Year’s Most Important Films|Marlow Stern|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And, unlike former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, McDonnell didn't try to portray himself as a loveable rogue.
Virginia’s Ex-Governor Is a Political Crook For Our Times|Ben Jacobs|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Mr. Howard, dupe or rogue, was extremely busy in publishing to the world the particulars of this extraordinary case.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
How daintily they sip it; how happy they seem; how that lucky rogue of an Irishman prattles away!
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches|William Makepeace Thackeray
The nimble little rogue darted into a hole before kitty could even get her paw on his tail.
The Nursery, November 1881, Vol. XXX|Various
The waiter, a quick-witted rogue enough, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this midnight conversation.
A Butterfly on the Wheel|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
"Come hither, rogue," said the baron on Gilbert affecting not to hurry himself out of his usual walk.
Balsamo, The Magician|Alexander Dumas

British Dictionary definitions for rogue

rogue

/ (rəʊɡ) /

noun

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

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

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

any inferior or defective specimen
(as modifier)rogue heroin

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

Word Origin for rogue

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

rogue

OTHER WORDS FOR rogue

Origin of rogue

synonym study for rogue

OTHER WORDS FROM rogue

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rogue

Words nearby rogue

Words related to rogue

How to use rogue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rogue

Word Origin for rogue