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• rover
  rover

  noun

  a person who roves; wanderer.
• Rover
  Rover

  noun

  a familiar name for a dog.

rover

¹ American  

[roh-ver] / ˈroʊ vər /

noun

1. a person who roves; wanderer.

2. Archery.

   1. a mark selected at random, as in a competition between two archers wandering over a specified area.

   2. one of a group of fixed marks at a long distance.

   3. an archer who shoots at such a mark.

3. Croquet. a ball that has been driven through all the arches and needs only to strike the last peg to be out of the game.

4. British.

   1. (at concerts or the like) a person who has a ticket for standing room only.

   2. a senior boy scout, 18 years of age or older.

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rover ² American  

[roh-ver] / ˈroʊ vər /

noun

1. a pirate.

2. Obsolete. a pirate ship.

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rover ³ American  

[roh-ver] / ˈroʊ vər /

noun

1. a machine that twists, draws out, and cleans fibers prior to spinning; a roving machine.

2. a roving-machine operator.

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Rover ⁴ American  

[roh-ver] / ˈroʊ vər /

noun

1. a familiar name for a dog.

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rover ¹ British  

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a person who roves; wanderer

2. archery a mark selected at random for use as a target

3. croquet a ball that has been driven through all the hoops but has not yet hit the winning peg

4. Australian rules football one of the three players in the ruck, usually smaller than the other two, selected for his agility in play

5. a small remote-controlled vehicle which roams over rough, esp extraterrestrial, terrain taking photographs, gathering rock and soil samples, etc

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Rover ² British  

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. the former name for Venture Scout

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rover ³ British  

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a pirate or pirate ship

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rover ⁴ British  

/ ˈrəʊvə /

noun

1. a machine for roving wool, cotton, etc, or a person who operates such a machine

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Etymology

Origin of rover¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; rove ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of rover²

First recorded in 1350–1400 rover ² for def. 1 and in 1530–40 rover ² for def. 2; Middle English rover(e) “pirate,” from Middle Dutch rover(e) or Middle Low German rover “robber,” equivalent to roven “to rob” + -er; cf. reave ¹; see also -er ¹ ( def. )

Origin of rover³

First recorded in 1735–45; rove ³ + -er ¹

Explanation

A rover is a drifter or wanderer, someone who doesn't settle in one spot. If you grow up in a small town, you may dream of buying a camper and living as a rover one day. Because rovers tend to roam around, this word has historically been a popular name for dogs. In fact, Shakespeare even called a dog Rover in A Winter's Tale. The rover vehicles used to explore rough terrain got their name from this same sense of wandering. Planetary rovers roll around the surfaces of moons and planets, exploring on their own or carrying crew. Land Rovers and other cars bill themselves as equally rugged and adventurous.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rover Rover

Beginning in 2030, the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover is expected to join the search with specialized instruments designed to look for stronger chemical evidence.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

The lander test for Artemis III depends on the same rocket family, and the Moon Base rover deliveries are contractually tied to New Glenn.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

Then in 2021, it landed a small rover on Mars.

From Barron's ● May 24, 2026

He cites the 2024 finding on Mars by the Perseverance rover of “a biosignature of heavy-metal reduction by alien microbes, possibly the most incredible discovery of the century.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

As I study this rover more, I observe more thoroughly all the damage he has sustained.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Arriving in a black Range Rover and sporting a green leaf-patterned dress, she met children's authors and unveiled a trail named Queen's Walk.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Now interest in vintage Jeeps, Land Rover Defenders and Ford Broncos is surging for women who will pay top dollar for old cars, never-ending upkeep be damned.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

His modification of a Land Rover Discovery for calf-feeding rounds - an off-road milk float - earned him third place in the Farmers Weekly inventions competition in 2020.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Investigators initially said they were traveling in a white 2019 Land Rover Discovery, but later said the vehicle had been located in a shopping center near the border with Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

But Alex Rover is not a typical macho action-man.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr