English Dictionary

Definition of “rover”

Browse the English dictionary (A-Z)

1rover1 (ˈrəʊvəPronunciation for rover1) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a person who roves; wanderer
  2. archery a mark selected at random for use as a target
  3. croquet a ball that has been driven through all the hoops but has not yet hit the winning peg
  4. Australian Rules football one of the three players in the ruck, usually smaller than the other two, selected for his agility in play
  5. a small remote-controlled vehicle which roams over rough, esp extraterrestrial, terrain taking photographs, gathering rock and soil samples, etc

Word Origin

C15: from roveC15: from 1

2rover2 (ˈrəʊvəPronunciation for rover2) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a pirate or pirate ship

Word Origin

C14: probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German, from roven to rob

3rover3 (ˈrəʊvəPronunciation for rover3) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a machine for roving wool, cotton, etc, or a person who operates such a machine

Word Origin

C18: from rove²

Rover or Rover Scout(ˈrəʊvəPronunciation for )

Definitions

noun

  1. British the former name for Venture Scout

Usage examples

  • The one-metre arm used its microscope to take a close-up image of an undisturbed patch of soil next to the NASA rover.
    New Scientist (2004)
  • There is no guarantee the rover will be able to exit the crater, the space agency warned.
    CBC (2004)
  • His dark wavy hair and delight in singing ballads suggested that he was an Irish rover , an image he did nothing to dispel.
    Times, Sunday Times (2002)
  • The Irishman was a free spirit, a wild rover who would not be tied down by possessions
    Townsend, Eileen, Dreamtime (1993)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'R'

Related Terms

2 results

Browse nearby words

Browse dictionary