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

rogues plural

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)

rogues, present (3rd person singular) rogued, past participle, past roguing present participle

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)

rogues, present (3rd person singular) rogued, past participle, past roguing present participle

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

Synonym Usage

See knave.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rogues
  plural

Participles

• roguing
  present
• rogued
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rogue
  simple
• rogues
  simple
• have rogued
  perfect
• has rogued
  perfect
• are roguing
  progressive
• am roguing
  progressive
• is roguing
  progressive
• have been roguing
  perfect progressive
• has been roguing
  perfect progressive

Past

• rogued
  simple
• had rogued
  perfect
• was roguing
  progressive
• were roguing
  progressive
• had been roguing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rogue
  simple
• will have rogued
  perfect
• will be roguing
  progressive
• will have been roguing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rogue

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

Explanation

A rogue is a sneaky person who has tricks up his sleeve, not like a magician, but like someone who would steal your wallet or cheat at cards. Dishonesty won’t get you far in life, unless you are a rogue who survives by lying and exploiting others. The word comes from the Latin rogare, which means “beg,” and while some rogues dress like beggars to get your money, anyone who deceives is a rogue, like the presidents of corrupt corporations who steal from their employees, or that rogue Uncle Marvin who promises you chocolate for washing his car, but afterward tells you he has no chocolate. That rogue!

Example Sentences

Rogue chip shops have been passing off catfish as "traditional fish and chips" to cut down on costs, the BBC has learned.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Playwright Justin Tanner stars in his new solo show, ‘My Son the Playwright,’ which is having its world premiere in a Rogue Machine production, directed by Lisa James.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Nissan boosted Tennessee-based production of its Rogue SUV, instead of importing models from factories in Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

Alongside the mature audience-friendly 2000 AD, which features the likes of Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper, the trio are thought to reach a combined weekly audience of roughly 200,000.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

Adah wrote at the bottom of the page, “Remember ‘Devil One’ and ‘W. I. Rogue?’

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• con artist
• crook
• rascal
• swindler
• villain