Standard Lemma guide

roving

adj · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /ˈɹoʊvɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R OW1 V IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Moving about; having no fixed or permanent abode; travelling from place to place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of the eyes or gaze, inspecting all over; not staying fixed on one subject.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • His roving eyes never focused on anything specific.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A long and narrow bundle of fibre, usually used to spin woollen yarn or in felting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The process of giving the first twist to yarn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

present participle and gerund of rove

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

migratory

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a restless mobile society
  • the nomadic habits of the Bedouins
  • believed the profession of a peregrine typist would have a happy future
  • wandering tribes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mobile, nomadic, peregrine, wandering

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

travelling about without any clear destination

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she followed him in his wanderings and looked after him

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wandering, vagabondage

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: travel, traveling, travelling

Narrower terms: drifting

History

Etymology

From rove + -ing.

From rove (“sliver of wool or cotton”), late 17th century, possibly from obsolete Middle English rove(n) (“to draw out, pull off”), itself a dialectal variant of rive (“to tear, split”).

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Across languages

Translations

16 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: скитащ (skitašt) — wandering
  • Bulgarian: скитнически (skitničeski) — wandering
  • Czech: toulavý — wandering
  • Czech: toulající se — wandering
  • Dutch: zwervend — wandering
  • Dutch: loensend — wandering
  • Esperanto: vaganta — wandering
  • German: umherschweifend — wandering
  • Irish: aistreach — wandering
  • Māori: tihoitanga — wandering
  • Polish: włóczęga — wandering
  • Russian: бродячий (brodjačij) — wandering
  • Russian: кочующий (kočujuščij) — wandering
  • Russian: блуждающий (bluždajuščij) — wandering
  • Swedish: kringflackande — wandering
  • Polish: niedoprzęd — bundle of fibre