rogue
Americanadjective
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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.
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dangerous and unpredictable.
They were trapped in the house by a rogue snowstorm.
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of or noting a nation or state that defies international treaties, laws, etc..
The blame is placed on rogue states that threaten world peace.
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(of an animal) having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition.
She helped trap a rogue tiger terrorizing the village.
noun
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a dishonest, untrustworthy person; scoundrel.
We were traveling in secret to avoid running into rogues and thieves.
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a playfully mischievous person; scamp.
The youngest boys are little rogues.
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Archaic. a tramp or vagabond.
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an animal having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition.
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Biology. a usually inferior organism, especially a plant, varying markedly from the normal.
verb (used with object)
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to uproot or destroy (plants that do not conform to a desired standard).
Usually, roguing the diseased plants is sufficient to minimize further spread.
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to perform this operation upon.
to rogue a field.
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to cheat.
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
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a dishonest or unprincipled person, esp a man; rascal; scoundrel
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humorous a mischievous or wayward person, often a child; scamp
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a crop plant which is inferior, diseased, or of a different, unwanted variety
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any inferior or defective specimen
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( as modifier )
rogue heroin
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archaic a vagrant
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an animal of vicious character that has separated from the main herd and leads a solitary life
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( as modifier )
a rogue elephant
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verb
Synonym Usage
See knave.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
roguesimple
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roguessimple
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have roguedperfect
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has roguedperfect
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am roguingprogressive
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are roguingprogressive
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is roguingprogressive
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have been roguingperfect progressive
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has been roguingperfect progressive
Past
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roguedsimple
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had roguedperfect
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was roguingprogressive
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were roguingprogressive
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had been roguingperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing rogue
May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Words
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Superhero Lexicon
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The company that got hacked by a rogue version of ChatGPT has revealed what it was like to be on the receiving end of the world's first fully-autonomous AI hack.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Two OpenAI models recently escaped from a research network while being trained and hacked into another AI company, adding to concerns about rogue models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
And a cyberattack by rogue OpenAI models gave the world a taste of what hacking might look like in the age of powerful AI tools.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
As AI continues to evolve at breakneck speed, and developers warn of models going rogue, Elon Musk says people should simply "enjoy the ride".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
‘Let’s see what sort of sedition this rogue is bringing in among His Majesty’s loyal troops.’
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
For years, these rogues dominated the president’s daily intelligence brief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
A member of Batman’s colorful rogues gallery, the criminal mastermind is always engaged in a deadly game with the Dark Knight, using riddles and witty wordplay to thwart him and authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2023
The reverence I had unwittingly infiltrated a culture of rogues & thieves posing as police.
From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2023
When interviewed by the BBC years later, Stirling said he deliberately recruited brave and unconventional rogues.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2022
It featured a heroine in disguise, a perilous sea voyage, rogues and brigands, and deep forests in which to become lost, perhaps forever.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
You will recall that the off-type trees were rogued, leaving the parent trees of Nanking, Kuling and Meiling and others of good bearing habits.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association
Chapman says, on reading these letters and hearing all the case, that he never heard of any man being more shamefully treated,—that I have been outrageously rogued and robbed throughout.
From Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. I by Downey, Edmund
“And we’ve had our fun,” he boasted, “and speaking of sweethearts and all,” he cribbed from Kipling, “‘We’ve rogued and we’ve ranged - ’” “‘In our time,’” Slim completed the crib for him.
From The Red One by London, Jack
The practice enters into every hour of every-day life, and the greatest knave that ever rogued never cheated the world half as often as he cheated himself!
From Davenport Dunn, Volume 2 (of 2) A Man Of Our Day by Lever, Charles James
Does he think I will see Squire Rawdon rogued out of his home?
From The Man Between, an International Romance by Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston
Potato roguing brings together people from all over the world It is essential to be fit to become a roguer, though it is also important to know what to look for.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2012
For Maciej, a former Aberdeen University student, an offer to go seed potato "roguing" turned out to be the right opportunity.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2012
Control suggestions include roguing affected plants, eliminating weeds, and controlling carrying insects.
From The Tomato by Work, Paul
These roguing thieves serve the great pirate Valdes; And they hav seized Marina.
From Pericles by Shakespeare, William
The "roguing," as nurserymen call the destroying of varieties which depart from their type, is a kind of selection.
From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
