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View synonyms for rogue

rogue

[ rohg ]

adjective

  1. no longer obedient, belonging, or accepted and hence not controllable or answerable; renegade:

    They described him as a rogue cop who had abandoned his training.

  2. dangerous and unpredictable:

    They were trapped in the house by a rogue snowstorm.

  3. of or noting a nation or state that defies international treaties, laws, etc.:

    The blame is placed on rogue states that threaten world peace.

  4. (of an animal) having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition:

    She helped trap a rogue tiger terrorizing the village.



noun

  1. a dishonest, untrustworthy person; scoundrel:

    We were traveling in secret to avoid running into rogues and thieves.

    Synonyms: swindler, quack, mountebank, cheat, trickster, villain

  2. a playfully mischievous person; scamp:

    The youngest boys are little rogues.

  3. Archaic. a tramp or vagabond.
  4. an animal having an abnormally violent or unpredictable disposition.
  5. Biology. a usually inferior organism, especially a plant, varying markedly from the normal.

verb (used with object)

, rogued, ro·guing.
    1. to uproot or destroy (plants that do not conform to a desired standard):

      Usually, roguing the diseased plants is sufficient to minimize further spread.

    2. to perform this operation upon:

      to rogue a field.

  1. to cheat.

verb (used without object)

, rogued, ro·guing.
  1. to live or act as a scoundrel, vagabond, or scamp.

rogue

/ rəʊɡ /

noun

  1. a dishonest or unprincipled person, esp a man; rascal; scoundrel
  2. humorous.
    a mischievous or wayward person, often a child; scamp
  3. a crop plant which is inferior, diseased, or of a different, unwanted variety
    1. any inferior or defective specimen
    2. ( as modifier )

      rogue heroin

  4. archaic.
    a vagrant
    1. an animal of vicious character that has separated from the main herd and leads a solitary life
    2. ( as modifier )

      a rogue elephant



verb

    1. tr to rid (a field or crop) of plants that are inferior, diseased, or of an unwanted variety
    2. to identify and remove such plants

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Other Words From

  • out·rogue verb (used with object) outrogued outroguing

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rogue1

First recorded in 1555–65; origin uncertain, apparently short for obsolete roger “begging vagabond,” originally thieves' jargon

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Word History and Origins

Origin of rogue1

C16: of unknown origin; perhaps related to Latin rogāre to beg

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. go rogue, to stop being obedient or predictable; to behave in a way that is not allowed or expected:

    Giving people the tools they need to do their jobs greatly reduces the risk of employees going rogue and using unauthorized services.

    To make more money, the agent went rogue and sold his services to the highest bidder.

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Synonym Study

See knave.

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Example Sentences

In addition, the campaign to identify and report rogue traders has led to the closure of almost 4,300 counterfeit-goods workshops in China.

From Ozy

“Big tech is being scapegoated for fundamental flaws in our rogue capitalist system,” says O’Reilly.

In the 2016 presidential election, several electors went rogue.

The coronavirus forced Wisconsin to opt out of its game with Nebraska this week, causing Nebraska to try to go rogue and schedule a random matchup against Chattanooga.

Reining in rogue scientists would also require setting up a way for whistleblowers to report possible unapproved research.

Closed courthouses, rogue clerks, and misleading statements from the attorney general as Florida welcomes same-sex marriage.

The duo have five of these rogue installations under their belts, with another coming in early 2015.

It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips.

Once he graduated in 2006, Simien took a job as a publicity assistant at Rogue, then a division of Focus Features.

And, unlike former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, McDonnell didn't try to portray himself as a loveable rogue.

But Mr. Howard, dupe or rogue, was extremely busy in publishing to the world the particulars of this extraordinary case.

How daintily they sip it; how happy they seem; how that lucky rogue of an Irishman prattles away!

The nimble little rogue darted into a hole before kitty could even get her paw on his tail.

The waiter, a quick-witted rogue enough, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this midnight conversation.

"Come hither, rogue," said the baron on Gilbert affecting not to hurry himself out of his usual walk.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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