rover

UK: /ˈrəʊvə/ US: 'Rover', 'rover': (rō′vər)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rov•er¹  (rō′vər), n. 

1. a person who roves;
   wanderer.
2. Sport [Archery.]
   • a mark selected at random, as in a competition between two archers wandering over a specified area.
   • one of a group of fixed marks at a long distance.
   • an archer who shoots at such a mark.
3. Sport [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 Terms
   • (at concerts or the like) a person who has a ticket for standing room only.
   • a senior boy scout, 18 years of age or older.

• rove¹ + -er¹ 1490–1500

rov•er²  (rō′vər), n. 

1. Nautical, Naval Terms a pirate.
2. Nautical, Naval Terms [Obs.] a pirate ship.

• Middle Dutch or Middle Low German: robber, equivalent. to roven to rob, reave¹ + -er -er¹
• Middle English 1350–1400

rov•er³  (rō′vər), n. 

1. Building a roving or routing machine.
2. a roving-machine operator.

• rove³ + -er¹ 1735–45

Ro•ver  (rō′vər), n. 

1. a familiar name for a dog.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rover / ˈrəʊvə/ noun

1. a person who roves; wanderer
2. a mark selected at random for use as a target
3. one of the three players in the ruck, usually smaller than the other two, selected for agility in play

Etymology: 15th Century: from rove¹

rover / ˈrəʊvə/ noun

1. a pirate or pirate ship

Etymology: 14th Century: probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from roven to rob

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

rove¹ /roʊv/   v., roved, rov•ing. 

1. to move here and there at random: [~ + object]
   to rove the subways, looking for victims.
   [no object]
   to rove in the woods.

rov•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rove¹ (rōv),  v., roved, rov•ing, n. 

v.i. 

1. to wander about without definite destination;
   move hither and thither at random, esp. over a wide area.

v.t. 

2. to wander over or through;
   traverse:
   to rove the woods.

n. 

3. an act or instance of roving.

• Scandinavian; compare Old Norse rāfa to stray; but compare also Old French raver to roam
• 1490–1500; origin, originally, to shoot at a random target; perh.

Synonyms

• 1. stroll, amble, stray. See roam. 

rove² (rōv), v. 

1. a pt. and pp. of reeve ².

rove³ (rōv),  v., roved, rov•ing, n. 

v.t. 

1. Textiles to form (slivers of wool, cotton, etc.) into slightly twisted strands in a preparatory process of spinning.
2. Textiles to draw fibers or the like through an eye or other small opening.
3. Textiles to attenuate, compress, and twist slightly in carding.

n. 

4. British Terms roving².

• of obscure origin, originally 1780–90

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Rover, Rover Scout / ˈrəʊvə/ noun

1. 
   the former name for Venture Scout