rove

verb

ˈrōv How to pronounce rove (audio)
Definition of rovenext
as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly buffalo roving over the vast plains

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb rove contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rove are meander, ramble, roam, traipse, and wander. While all these words mean "to go about from place to place usually without a plan or definite purpose," rove suggests vigorous and sometimes purposeful roaming.

armed brigands roved over the countryside

When is meander a more appropriate choice than rove?

The words meander and rove are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, meander implies a winding or intricate course suggestive of aimless or listless wandering.

the river meanders for miles through rich farmland

Where would ramble be a reasonable alternative to rove?

Although the words ramble and rove have much in common, ramble stresses carelessness and indifference to one's course or objective.

the speaker rambled on without ever coming to the point

When would roam be a good substitute for rove?

The words roam and rove can be used in similar contexts, but roam suggests wandering about freely and often far afield.

liked to roam through the woods

When might traipse be a better fit than rove?

The meanings of traipse and rove largely overlap; however, traipse implies a course that is erratic but may sometimes be purposeful.

traipsed all over town looking for the right dress

In what contexts can wander take the place of rove?

While in some cases nearly identical to rove, wander implies an absence of or an indifference to a fixed course.

fond of wandering about the square just watching the people

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rove The roving pop-up format will then travel to Steffl in Vienna; Galeries Lafayette in Beijing; Vakko in Istanbul; Emquartier in Bangkok; Paragon in Singapore; Trang Tien Hanoi, Vietnam, as well as Plaza Indonesia, in Jakarta, Indonesia. — Martino Carrera, WWD, 24 Jan. 2025 The roving gallery Mariposa has also set up shop on Western Avenue for the next two weeks, staging two exhibitions that seem to bleed into each other. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 19 Feb. 2025 Working with cinematographer Guo Daming (Paths of the Soul), Huo stages that and many other sequences in roving long takes, allowing the action to play out in its entirety and framing the characters against the surrounding village and fields. — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025 Ultimately, his thinking—which he’s articulated in earnings and public appearances over a number of years—is that his roving network of autonomous vehicles can use their cameras to capture huge quantities of data, and those data can be used to train AI networks. — Patrick George, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rove
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rove
  1. roam
  2. wander
  3. drift
Verb
  • In the 1960s, a quarter of dogs roamed freely, and euthanasia rates in shelters were 10 to 20 times higher.
    — William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Like Great Sand Dunes in Colorado—one of my favorite national parks—this state park is a beautiful place to roam, explore, and spend a night under a starry sky.
    — Maya Silver, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of roam
Verb
  • Elderly residents wandered off without supervision, medications weren’t properly administered, and emergency pull cords in some bedrooms didn’t work, the state alleged.
    — Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Visitors can wander over 50 acres of natural beauty, including an interactive area for children, a wetland garden featuring native species, and a dedicated space housing over 1,500 roses.
    — Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of wander
Verb
  • With Isak pulling into those wider left channels in Newcastle’s attack, there are even occasions of Van Dijk being willing to drift out of position — running across his own centre-back — to follow the Sweden international rather than pass him onto a team-mate.
    — Mark Carey, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Meanwhile, everyone else managed to drift in a wooden boat on the waters in darkness for the next 10 hours.
    — Latoya Gayle, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of drift

Browse Nearby Words

rove
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rove.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rove. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on rove

Nglish: Translation of rove for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All