rover

plural rovers

1. One who roves: a person or animal that travels around, especially over a wide area, without a fixed destination; a nomad, a roamer, a wanderer.

   I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life, / To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife; / And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, / And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

   1902, John Masefield, Sea Fever

   1 more example

   But these islands, undisturbed for years, relapsed into their previous obscurity; and it is only recently that anything has been known concerning them. Once in the course of a half century, to be sure, some adventurous rover would break in upon their peaceful repose. and astonished at the unusual scene, would be almost tempted to claim the merit of a new discovery.

   Typee

   1846 February 26, Herman Melville, chapter I, in Narrative of a Four Months’ Residence among the Natives of a Valley of the Marquesas Islands; or, A Peep at Polynesian Life [Typee], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC

2. broadlydatedA restless, unsteady person who does not settle down; specifically (historical), a flirtatious, unfaithful man; a rake.

   Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:libertine

   2 more examples

   She is a rover and dislikes any sort of ties, physical or emotional.

   Give him the word, that I'm not a rover, and tell him that his lonely days are over.

   1954, Pat Ballard, “Mr. Sandman”

   Synonyms: benedick, cad, drabber, fuck boy, fuck-boy, fuckboy, gallant, goat

3. broadlyhistoricalAlso rover ticket: a person who has a ticket for an event, performance, etc., but no assigned seat, and so has to find a place to sit or stand.
4. broadlyaeronauticsA small manned or unmanned land vehicle for exploring extraterrestrial bodies.

   1 more example

   September 19, 2005, Dave Lane, Mars Exploration Rover "OPPORTUNITY" NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is currently traveling southward over a pavement of outcrop dubbed the "Erebus Highway." "Erebus Crater," the rover's next target, lies less than 100 meters (328 feet) south of its current position

5. broadlyAmerican footballA defensive back position whose coverage responsibilities are a combination of those of a cornerback, linebacker, and safety; also, a player playing this position.

   I went to Coach Beamer and, because we had a lot of outside linebackers, ask him if I could play rover.

   2011, Frank Beamer, Always a Hokie: Players, Coaches, and Fans Share Their Passion for Virginia Tech Football

6. broadlyhistoricalarcheryChiefly in the plural in the form to shoot at rovers: a target randomly selected by an archer, usually for practice; also, a fixed target for practising long-distance shooting.

   "By my hilt! no. There was little Robby Withstaff, and Andrew Salblaster, and Wat Alspaye, who broke the neck of the German. Mon Dieu! what men they were! Take them how you would, at long butts or short, hoyles, rounds, or rovers, better bowmen never twirled a shaft over their thumb-nails.

   1890, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 22, in The White Company

7. broadlyobsoletearcheryA type of heavy arrow used for long-distance shooting.

   All sorts, flights, rovers, and butt shafts.

   1600 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Cynthias Reuels, or The Fountayne of Selfe-Loue. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC

8. broadlyAustralian rules footballA position that is one of three of a team's followers making up a ruck, who follow the ball around the ground; also, a player playing this position, who is generally fast and skilful at receiving the ball, and formerly of shorter stature.
9. broadlycroquetIn full rover ball: a ball which has passed through all the hoops and would peg out if it hit the stake but is continued in play to help fellow players or obstruct opposing players; also, the player of such a ball.
10. broadlyhistoricalcyclingAlternative letter-case form of Rover (“an early type of safety bicycle with a lower riding position than previous models”).
11. broadlynauticalA remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
12. broadlyroadAlternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Land Rover (“a type of road vehicle capable of being driven off-road”)”).
13. broadlyball gamesThe tenth defensive player in slow-pitch softball.
14. broadlyhistoricalrugby unionA forward whose responsibility was to feed the scrum and protect the scrum-half; the position was abandoned after a 1931 rule change.
15. UKbroadlyAlternative letter-case form of Rover (“Short for Rover Scout (“a member of a Scouting organization for young men too old to be Boy Scouts”)”).
16. UKattributivebroadlyEspecially in rover ticket: a type of pass, ticket, etc., that allows the holder unlimited travel on certain types of public transport for specified periods.
17. UKbroadlyhistoricalWorld War IIaeronauticsIn full rover patrol: an airborne reconnaissance patrol.

plural rovers

1. archaic except historicalnauticalA pirate.

   Tripoli is alſo a ſeat of a Turkiſh Viceroy or Beglerbeg, and of Turkiſh Rouers.

   1613, Samuel Purchas, “[Relations of the Regions and Religions in Africa.] Of the Kingdomes of Tremisen, Algier, and Other Places, Anciently Called Mauritania Cæsariensis.”, in Purchas His Pilgrimage. Or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in All Ages and Places Discouered, from the Creation vnto this Present. […], London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, book VI (Of Ægypt, Barbarie, Numidia, Libya, and the Land of Negros; and of Their Religions), page 505

   2 more examples

   [T]he king ſent to the ſea ſixe good ſhippes, well manned and vitayled for the warre: […] for ſaffegarde of the Merchauntes, and other the kinges ſubiectes, that were greuouſly ſpoyled and robbed on the ſea, by Frenchmen, Scottes and other rouers.

   a. 1548 (date written), Edward Hall, Richard Grafton, “[The Triumphant Reigne of Kyng Henry the VIII.] The .XIIJ. Yere.”, in The Vnion of the Two Noble and Illustre Famelies of Lancastre & Yorke, […], London: […] Rychard Grafton, […] [and Steven Mierdman], published 1550, →OCLC, folio lxxxxi, recto

   Diogenes vvill deſpiſe thee for all that, vvho being expoſed and offered to ſale by the rovers and theeves that tooke him, cried and proclaimed himſelfe aloud: VVho vvill buy a maſter who?

   1603, Plutarch, “That Vice Alone is Sufficient to Make a Man Wretched”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 299

2. archaic except historicalnauticalA pirate ship.

   [W]hen coming Home again from the Banks of Nevvfoundland, vve vvere taken by an Algerine Rover, or Man of VVar; […]

   1720, [Daniel Defoe], The Life, Adventures, and Pyracies, of the Famous Captain Singleton, London: […] J[ohn] Brotherton, […], J[ohn] Graves […], A[nne] Dodd, […], and T[homas] Warner, […], →OCLC, page 4

   1 more example

   Our Ship making her Courſe tovvards the Canary Iſlands, or rather betvveen those Iſlands and the African Shore, vvas ſurpriſed in the Grey of the Morning by a Turkiſh Rover of Sallee, vvho gave Chaſe to us vvith all the Sail ſhe could make.

   1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 19

3. obsoleteA plunderer, a raider, a robber.

   [H]ee began to rob and ſpoyle with a great band of rouers, and afterward he attempted to ſet vpon all men.

   1610 October, John Foxe, “Ottomannus [Osman I] the First Great Emperour or Tyrant of the Turkes”, in Actes and Monuments of Matters Most Speciall and Memorable, Happening in the Church, with an Vniuersall Historie of the Same. […], 6th edition, volume I, London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC, book VI, page 677, column 2

   2 more examples

   In his daies came vp Nabuchodonoſor [Nebuchadnezzar II] the king of Babylon, and Ioakim vvas made his ſeruant three yeares: and he rebelled agaynſt him againe. And our Lord ſent in vpon him the rouers of the Chaldees, and the rouers of Syria, and the rouers of Moab, & the rouers of the children of Ammon: and he ſent them into Iuda, to deſtroy it, according to the vvord of our Lord, vvhich he had ſpoken by his ſeruantes the prophetes.

   1609, The Holie Bible, […] (Douay–Rheims Bible), Doway: Laurence Kellam, […], →OCLC, 4 Kinges 24:1–2, page 813

   A Rover tooke him unprepared, / Search't his Port-mantua, bound him faſter, / And ſent him naked to his Maſter: […]

   1638, Corymbœus [pseudonym; Richard Brathwait], “His Northerne Journey: Third Part”, in Barnabees Journall; […], [London]: […] [John Haviland], →OCLC, signature P2, recto

plural rovers

1. historicalbusinessOne who forms cotton, wool, or other fibres into rovings (“long, narrow bundles of fibres”), specifically using a roving frame in a mill.

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   A Manufacture of Cotton is lately eſtabliſhed in this City, and is arrived at a very great Perfection; and I could not but be greatly pleaſed, vvhen I vvas there laſt, to ſee a very handſome Proceſſion made on this Occaſion, viz. on May-day 1740, at vvhich Time Mr. Clough, the Maſter of the Manufactory, together vvith the ſeveral Artificers concern'd therein, marched thro' the City in the follovving manner, preceded by the City Muſick; viz. There vvere Three Stages borne, each by Six Porters: On the firſt Stage vvere the Teazer, Carder, Rover, Spinner, and Reeler of the Cotton-vvool.

   1742, [Daniel Defoe], “Letter III. Containing a Description of Part of the West-riding of Yorkshire, and of All the North and East-ridings, the Bishoprick of Durham, and the County of Northumberland.”, in A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain. […], 3rd edition, volume III, London: […] J[ohn] Osborn, […], →OCLC, pages 165–166

2. historicalbusinessA machine used to make rovings, especially a roving frame.

   The cotton being spread upon one of the cards, it was repeatedly combed with another till all the fibres were laid straight, when it was stripped off the card in a fleecy roll ready for the rover.

   1878, Spencer Walpole, chapter I, in A History of England from the Conclusion of the Great War in 1815 […], volume I, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, page 58

plural Rovers

1. hobbiesSomeone connected with any number of teams called the Rovers, as a fan, player, coach etc.
   1. ball gamessomeone connected with Blackburn Rovers FC, as a fan, player, coach etc.
2. scoutingA member of the senior section of the Boy Scout movement catering for men of age 18 upwards, now disbanded.

1. A stereotypical given name for a dog.

   Thor jumped off the sledge to undo the gate, and as we merrily drove up to the door we were met by the boisterous welcome of old Rover, who in his frantic joy at hearing my voice almost broke his chain in trying to rush at me.

   1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 18

2. A former make of a British motorcar.