verb

rove

ROHV/rəʊv/

To move or travel around an area without a fixed route.

The woman roves around the meadow, changing direction without following a path.

A compact three-panel sequence follows the same woman roaming around one small open meadow, changing direction between scattered natural features rather than following a path.

Etymology

Rove first referred to shooting arrows at a mark chosen at pleasure or at random, before it meant wandering without a fixed destination. Its ancestry remains uncertain.

In context

Libranima106:04

Adventures seeking thou dost rove

Don Quixote - Cervantes (Illustrated Audiobook) Part 4 of 4

More examples

The cattle rove freely across the grassland.
We spent the afternoon roving from shop to shop.
Her eyes roved around the room as she waited.

Forms

rove · roves · roved · roving

rover noun — A person who wanders from place to place.

Similar words

roam: Often emphasizes moving freely over a broad area.
wander: Can emphasize aimlessness or straying from an intended path.
ramble: Usually suggests walking leisurely without a fixed route.