Showing results for "rove"

• past tense form of reeve.

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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Synonym Usage

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

Explanation

To rove is to wander around, often aimlessly. You may like to rove at work or school, but chances are you’ve probably got somewhere you’re supposed to be. Roving can be a way of life. Someone who roves may not have a permanent home, and they may wander from town to town in search of food or work. Rove can also refer to other types of wandering. A roving reporter wanders the streets looking for people to interview. At a crowded party, your eyes might rove around the room as you look for someone you know — or someone you’d like to meet. And, as you fall asleep, your mind might rove over the events of the day.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rove roved roving

Parker, speaking from his office, which is decorated in white decals of rove beetles — which his lab exclusively focuses on — said it pays to explore “obscure branches of the tree of life.”

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

Never the flaming eye of Helios lights on those men at morning, when he climbs the sky of stars, nor in descending earthward out of heaven; ruinous night being rove over those wretches.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Icebergs as large as cities, potentially tens of kilometres wide, once roved the coasts of the UK, according to scientists.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025

Sassoon roved across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa buying up old books, and by his death in 1942, he had amassed over 1,200 manuscripts.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023

While this entire group of dinosaurs is commonly referred to as “long necks,” Mamenchisaurus, which roved around what is now China during the late Jurassic period, would have given other sauropods neck envy.

From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2023

I sat alone on my couch in Columbia, S.C.; my three sons roved around me.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 2, 2022

His eyes roved the room, seeing Gus and G.H. and Jack.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

This romp about Fiorilla, a flirty young woman with a roving eye who is married to Geronio, a wealthy old Neapolitan, is packed with hilarious, fast-moving ensembles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Yet investors are unlikely to care about Demand Progress’ roving billboards in Washington.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

He's roving the stadium with a camera crew, shooting a documentary commemorating this one-off event.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

In Belfast itself, local communities have gathered en masse to support their immigrant neighbors, whether by hiding them from roving mobs or raising money to repair their homes and businesses.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

“No, not I. What can they do for you? You should not be roving about now; it looks very ill.”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë