rove

¹ American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb (used without object)

roved, roving

1. to wander about without definite destination; move hither and thither at random, especially over a wide area.

   Synonyms:

   stray, amble, stroll

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verb (used with object)

roved, roving

1. to wander over or through; traverse.

   to rove the woods.

noun

1. an act or instance of roving.

rove ² American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of reeve.

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rove ³ American  

[rohv] / roʊv /

verb (used with object)

roved, roving

1. to form (slivers of wool, cotton, etc.) into slightly twisted strands in a preparatory process of spinning.

2. to draw fibers or the like through an eye or other small opening.

3. to attenuate, compress, and twist slightly in carding.

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noun

1. British. roving.

rove ¹ British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. to wander about (a place) with no fixed direction; roam

2. (intr) (of the eyes) to look around; wander

3. to show a widespread amorous interest in the opposite sex

4. (intr) Australian rules football to play as a rover

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noun

1. the act of roving

rove ² British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. (tr) to pull out and twist (fibres of wool, cotton, etc) lightly, as before spinning or in carding

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noun

1. wool, cotton, etc, thus prepared

rove ³ British  

/ rəʊv /

noun

1. a metal plate through which a rivet is passed and then clenched over

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rove ⁴ British  

/ rəʊv /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of reeve 2

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Related Words

See roam.

Etymology

Origin of rove¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; originally, “to shoot at a random target”; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse rāfa “to stray”; but compare also Old French raver “to roam”

Origin of rove³

First recorded in 1690–1700; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

In a paper published in the journal “Cell,” they break down the remarkable ability of one species of rove beetle to live among the typically combative ants.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

I hired an electric violinist to rove around the bathhouse and play during the event.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

One version of Bolt-ee is mounted on wheels and semi-autonomous, so that it can rove around to reach a vehicle that needs a quick hit of power.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2024

In response, Metro says it transferred pairs of security guards from elsewhere to rove the H Line, which connects downtown to Burien, “for the foreseeable future,” spokesperson Al Sanders said.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2023

While I wait for instructions from the command center, I continue to rove, gliding over a sand dune that is relatively easy to traverse.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga