Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Rove

//ɹəʊv// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname
Noun
  1. 1
    A copper washer upon which the end of a nail is clinched in boatbuilding.
  2. 2
    A roll or sliver of wool or cotton drawn out and lightly twisted, preparatory to further processing; a roving.
  3. 3
    The act of wandering; a ramble.

    "In thy nocturnal rove one moment halt."

Verb
  1. 1
    To shoot with arrows (at). intransitive, obsolete

    "And thou […] that with thy cruell dart / At that good knight so cunningly didst roue […]"

  2. 2
    simple past of rive form-of, past
  3. 3
    move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment wordnet
  4. 4
    To roam, or wander about at random, especially over a wide area. intransitive

    "Now that he was in his prime, there was no simian in all the mighty forest through which he roved that dared contest his right to rule, nor did the other and larger animals molest him."

  5. 5
    simple past of reeve form-of, past
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    To roam or wander through. transitive

    "Roving the field, I chanced / A goodly tree far distant to behold."

  2. 7
    To card wool or other fibres. transitive

    "Although both [flax and wool] must be roved and spun upon similar principles, each requires peculiar modifications in its machinery."

  3. 8
    To twist slightly; to bring together, as slivers of wool or cotton, and twist slightly before spinning.
  4. 9
    To draw through an eye or aperture.
  5. 10
    To plough into ridges by turning the earth of two furrows together.
  6. 11
    To practice robbery on the seas; to voyage about on the seas as a pirate.

    "pirates, roving up and downe the sea"

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably from Middle English *roven, a Midlands variant of Northern Middle English raven (“to wander”), from Old Norse ráfa (“to rove; stray about”). Cognate with Icelandic ráfa (“to wander”), Scots rave (“to wander; stray; roam”).

Etymology 2

Probably from Middle English *roven, a Midlands variant of Northern Middle English raven (“to wander”), from Old Norse ráfa (“to rove; stray about”). Cognate with Icelandic ráfa (“to wander”), Scots rave (“to wander; stray; roam”).

Etymology 3

Inflected forms.

See also for "rove"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: rove