roving

¹ American  

[roh-ving] / ˈroʊ vɪŋ /

adjective

1. roaming or wandering.

2. not assigned or restricted to any particular location, area, topic, etc..

   a roving editor.

3. not assigned to any particular diplomatic post but having a special mission.

   a roving ambassador.

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roving ² American  

[roh-ving] / ˈroʊ vɪŋ /

noun

1. a soft strand of fiber that has been twisted, attenuated, and freed of foreign matter preparatory to its conversion into yarn.

2. the final phase of carding, in which this is done.

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Other Word Forms

• rovingly adverb
• rovingness noun

Etymology

Origin of roving¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; rove ¹ + -ing ²

Origin of roving²

First recorded in 1785–95; rove ³ + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

He is based in Europe but roving widely, working with bureau chiefs and reporters to catalyze our best reporting from the field.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a roving correspondent, he did … well, some serious roving.

From Los Angeles Times

Among their demands is requiring officers to wear and turn on body cameras, banning them from wearing masks, and ending the practice of “roving patrols” and instead requiring that they carry out only targeted operations.

From Los Angeles Times

They were far less menacing than the roving patrols of soldiers and police officers that were ubiquitous in France.

From Los Angeles Times

The Fed’s roving remit and grand ambitions, however, expanded its surface area and exposed its vulnerability even more.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• itinerant
• peripatetic
• wandering