roving
1 Americanadjective
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roaming or wandering.
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not assigned or restricted to any particular location, area, topic, etc..
a roving editor.
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not assigned to any particular diplomatic post but having a special mission.
a roving ambassador.
noun
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a soft strand of fiber that has been twisted, attenuated, and freed of foreign matter preparatory to its conversion into yarn.
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the final phase of carding, in which this is done.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of roving1
First recorded in 1590–1600; rove 1 + -ing 2
Origin of roving2
Explanation
Roving things or people are in motion, like a roving reporter who travels to cover stories instead of staying put at her desk. Some roving animals are migrating, moving from one point on the globe to another. Roving travelers might be folks who live out of their camper as they wander across the country. And your job might be described as roving, too: "I work as a roving news photographer." Roving comes from the verb rove, "wander," which earlier meant "shoot arrows at a mark selected at random."
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.
Yet investors are unlikely to care about Demand Progress’ roving billboards in Washington.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Reddick loads her genre-blurring tale with outlandish intrigue involving Soviet spies, a capitalist cult and a roving choir that doubles as a Greek chorus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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
Old and rusting tankers like these form what maritime experts call the “shadow fleet,” a roving armada of hundreds of vessels that ferry oil for sanctioned regimes, including Iran and Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
He walked me swiftly toward the house, eyes always roving through the night.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
