noun
rover
ROH-vuh
noun
1
Someone or something that wanders or travels widely, including robotic vehicles used to explore other planets.
"The Mars rover sent back stunning images of the surface."
"He was always a rover, never settling in one city for long."
2
Historically, a pirate or someone who plunders.
"The rovers raided coastal villages for centuries."
How to Use Rover
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishToday mostly used for wandering explorers, especially space rovers, or as a classic dog's name.
Common pairings
space rover
Mars rover
a natural rover
Word Forms
rovers plural, rovers plural, Rovers plural
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Etymology
From Middle Dutch rôver ("pillager, robber"), ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to plunder."