Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense roves, present participle roving, past tense, past participle roved
1. verb
If someone rovesabout an area or roves an area, they wander around it.
[literary]
...roving about the town in the dead of night and seeing something peculiar. [VERB preposition/adverb]
She became a photographer, roving the world with her camera in her hand. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: wander, range, cruise, drift More Synonyms of rove
2. verb
If you say that someone's eyes rove round a place, you mean that they are looking around to see what is interesting.
[literary]
Houston's eyes roved restlessly about the room. [VERB preposition]
His eyes roved to see how many of the group appreciated his heavy humour. [VERB]
3. See also roving
rove in British English1
(rəʊv)
verb
1.
to wander about (a place) with no fixed direction; roam
2. (intransitive)
(of the eyes) to look around; wander
3. have a roving eye
4. (intransitive) Australian Rules football
to play as a rover
noun
5.
the act of roving
Word origin
C15 roven (in archery) to shoot at a target chosen at random (C16: to wander, stray), fromScandinavian; compare Icelandic rāfa to wander
rove in British English2
(rəʊv)
verb
1. (transitive)
to pull out and twist (fibres of wool, cotton, etc) lightly, as before spinning or in carding
noun
2.
wool, cotton, etc, thus prepared
Word origin
C18: of obscure origin
rove in British English3
(rəʊv)
noun
a metal plate through which a rivet is passed and then clenched over
Word origin
C15: from Scandinavian; compare Icelandic ro
rove in British English4
(rəʊv)
verb
a past tense and past participle of reeve2
rove in American English1
(roʊv)
verb intransitiveWord forms: roved or ˈroving
1.
to wander about; go from place to place, esp. over an extensive area, with no particular course or destination; roam
2.
to look around
said of the eyes
verb transitive
3.
to wander over; roam through
to rove the woods
noun
4.
the act of roving; a ramble
Word origin
ME roven, orig. an archery term as vt. < ?
rove in American English2
(roʊv)
verb transitiveWord forms: roved or ˈroving
1.
to twist (fibers) together and draw out into roving before spinning
noun
2. British
roving
rove in American English3
(roʊv)
verb transitive
alt. pt. & pp. of
reeve2
Examples of 'rove' in a sentence
rove
The frosty reception did not stop her becoming a roving ambassador for the store for more than 19 years.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She will be in the studio and roving around the track, looking at horses, casting her critical eye and giving her opinion.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And he is well suited to the role of roving evangelist.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The cameras were roving round the corridors trying to capture it all.
The Sun (2011)
He will have a prominent, roving role during the campaign.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Female apes learned to chat to each other to help bond in large groups, while males were roving around.
The Sun (2008)
His tragedy is that he took this to new extremes, racing around the world as a sort of roving ambassador.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I wasn't just roving around.
The Sun (2012)
And the rest of his roving band of guerrilla warriors are no better - they're all kind of useless.
The Sun (2009)
The Sun told last month how she was caught by the tech giant's roving cameras as she took bins out.
The Sun (2016)
The pair's faces were beamed on to a giant heart-shaped screen by a roving camera which flashes up live pictures of spectators.
The Sun (2013)
But despite losing that post he's reinvented himself as a sort of roving ambassador at your expense - specialising in nice warm countries with good golf courses.
The Sun (2011)
Word lists with
rove
Terms used in Australian Rules Football
(verb)
Definition
to wander about (a place)
roving about the town in the dead of night
Synonyms
wander
He wandered aimlessly around the garden.
range
They range widely in search of carrion.
cruise
drift
People drifted around the room.
stroll
We strolled back, put the kettle on and settled down.
stray
A railway line crosses the park so children must not be allowed to stray.
roam
They were encouraged not to let their cattle roam freely.
ramble
freedom to ramble across the moors
meander
We meandered along the Irish country roads.
traipse (informal)
go walkabout (Australian)
gallivant
She shouldn't be gallivanting around filling her head with nonsense.
gad about
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of drift
Definition
to move aimlessly from one place or activity to another
People drifted around the room.
Synonyms
wander,
stroll,
stray,
roam,
meander,
rove,
range,
straggle,
traipse (informal),
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
peregrinate
in the sense of gallivant
Definition
to go about in search of pleasure
She shouldn't be gallivanting around filling her head with nonsense.
Synonyms
gad about,
wander,
roam,
run around,
ramble,
rove,
range,
go walkabout (Australian),
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect)
in the sense of meander
Definition
to wander without definite aim or direction
We meandered along the Irish country roads.
Synonyms
wander,
stroll,
stray,
drift,
ramble,
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect)
Nearby words of
rove
rout
route
routine
rove
rover
row
rowdy
Synonyms of 'rove'
rove
Explore 'rove' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ramble
Definition
to walk for relaxation, sometimes with no particular direction
freedom to ramble across the moors
Synonyms
walk,
range,
drift,
wander,
stroll,
stray,
roam,
rove,
amble,
saunter,
straggle,
traipse (informal),
go walkabout (Australian),
perambulate,
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
peregrinate
in the sense of range
Definition
to roam (over)
They range widely in search of carrion.
Synonyms
roam,
explore,
wander,
rove,
sweep,
cruise,
stroll,
ramble,
traverse,
go walkabout (Australian)
in the sense of roam
Definition
to walk about with no fixed purpose or direction
They were encouraged not to let their cattle roam freely.
Synonyms
wander,
walk,
range,
travel,
drift,
stroll,
stray,
ramble,
prowl,
meander,
rove,
stravaig (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
peregrinate
in the sense of stray
Definition
to wander away from the correct path or from a given area
A railway line crosses the park so children must not be allowed to stray.
Synonyms
wander,
roam,
go astray,
range,
drift,
meander,
rove,
straggle,
lose your way,
be abandoned or lost,
stra
in the sense of stroll
Definition
to walk about in a leisurely manner
We strolled back, put the kettle on and settled down.