rogue
n. · adj. · v.-
1 a dishonest person (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea person who is dishonest or does things that are not principled.
a person who lacks principles or acts in a deceitful and unreliable manner.
ExampleThe rogue cheated the elderly couple out of their life savings.
ExampleThe investigation revealed that a rogue within the department had been leaking sensitive information to the press for months.
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2 a playful person (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Humorousa person, often a child, who is mischievous but in a way that is likeable.
a person, typically a child or young person, who behaves in a playfully mischievous way.
ExampleThat little rogue stole a cookie when I wasn't looking.
ExampleHe gave her a wink, looking like a charming rogue who was about to break all the rules.
- scamp
- rascal
- mischief maker
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3 fantasy character (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea character in a game or story who is good at hiding and stealing.
a character class in role-playing games typically characterised by stealth, agility, and trickery.
ExampleI usually play as a rogue because I like to sneak past enemies.
ExampleThe party's rogue successfully picked the lock while the guards were distracted by the wizard's illusion.
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4 behaving unpredictably (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatebehaving in an unexpected or harmful way, often by breaking the rules.
operating outside of normal or desirable controls; unpredictable and often destructive.
ExampleA rogue wave crashed over the side of the ship without warning.
ExampleThe government is concerned about rogue states that refuse to follow international nuclear treaties.
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5 to remove inferior plants (v.) C2 Proficiency Technical Scienceto remove plants that are weak or not the right type from a group.
to remove inferior or atypical plants from a crop to maintain the quality of the stock.
ExampleThe farmers had to rogue the field to ensure the seeds stayed pure.
ExampleTo maintain the genetic integrity of the strain, technicians must rogue any individuals showing undesirable variations before pollination occurs.
UsageThe verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually the field or the plants themselves.
- cull
- weed
Uncertain. From either: * Earlier English roger (“a begging vagabond who pretends to be a poor scholar from Oxford or Cambridge”), possibly from Latin rogō (“I ask”). * Middle French rogue (“arrogant, haughty”), from Old Northern French rogre (“aggressive”), from Old Norse hrokr (“excess, exuberance”), for which see Icelandic hroki (“arrogance”), though OED does not document this. * Celtic; see Breton rog (“haughty”).