rogue Hear it!

rogue Definition

rogue (rōg)

noun

  1. Obsolete a wandering beggar or tramp; vagabond
  2. a rascal; scoundrel
  3. a fun-loving, mischievous person
  4. an elephant or other animal that wanders apart from the herd and is fierce and wild
  5. Biol. an individual varying markedly from the standard, esp. an inferior one

Etymology: < 16th-c. thieves' slang < ? L rogare, to ask: see rogation

transitive verb rogued, ro′·guing

  1. to cheat
  2. to destroy (plants, etc.) as biological rogues
  3. to remove such plants, etc. from (land, etc.)

intransitive verb

to live or act like a rogue

adjective

  1. acting in defiance of established laws, customs, etc. a rogue nation
  2. lacking required authorization, supervision, etc. a rogue intelligence operation

rogue Synonyms

rogue

n.

scoundrel, scamp, miscreant; see criminal, rascal.

rogue Usage Examples

Possessives

  • gallery: Have a look at my rogue's gallery of people that matter or who have mattered to me.
  • state: While the threat of general war has receded other threats including those posed by ' rogue ' states remain.
  • point: New wireless LANs are popping up very fast, and many of them are insecure ' rogue ' access points.

Converse of object

  • bring: And above, upon the roof, sits the judge, who called out, bring the rogue here to me.
  • go: When the Soviets stopped paying their soldiers, a lot of them went rogue.
  • hand: One 28-acre crop of hay had to be chopped and left to rot because there was too much to hand rogue.
  • find: The country round was ready ' to find the rogue ' .

Adjective modifier

  • loveable: No need: my loveable rogue is picking the lock.
  • lovable: In the Italian Job you play the part of the lovable rogue Charlie Crocker.
  • handsome: A handsome rogue of a man called, say, Gary, approaches the crowded counter, burger in hand.
  • charming: Hopkins portrays Munro as a charming rogue whose greatest asset was his enthusiasm and determination.
  • old: Duped and intimidated by the old rogue and the menace of Josie.
  • few: Modern strains are selected for early flowering, but sometimes a few rogues get in.

Modifies a noun

  • dialler: Some rogue diallers do not hang up once the internet session is finished.
  • trader: The teams were also looking for possible rogue traders.
  • seasonality: Importantly, rogue seasonality may propagate through a supply network.
  • state: He is sending an early signal about how ' tough ' he intends to be on rogue states like Iraq.
  • cop: I have never believed that he could have been involved in the rogue cop scandal.
  • dialing: Spybot, which is also freeware, makes it possible to search and destroy rogue dialing software, key loggers and other spyware applications.

Preposition: in

nation: Read what Rabbie Burns wrote about ' Sic a parcel o ' rogues in a nation!