rovers

Noun

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.
   • 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...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...
2. (broadly, dated) A restless, unsteady person who does not settle down; specifically (historical), a flirtatious, unfaithful man; a rake.
   • Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:libertine

   Synonyms:

   benedick, cad, drabber, fuck boy, fuck-boy, fuckboy, gallant, goat, he-bitch, himbo

3. (broadly, historical) Also 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. (broadly) A small manned or unmanned land vehicle for exploring extraterrestrial bodies.
   • 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...
5. (broadly) A 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. (broadly, historical) Chiefly 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

See all 24 meanings of rover