netroots

plural noun

net·​roots ˈnet-ˌrüts How to pronounce netroots (audio)
-ˌru̇ts
: the grassroots political activists who communicate via the Internet especially by blogs

Did you know?

In July of 1912 McClure's Magazine reported, "From the Roosevelt standpoint, especially, it was a campaign from the 'grass roots up'. The voter was the thing." A little more than 90 years later, the Internet was the thing and the grassroots voters had gone virtual: "June 23rd is going to be the official launch of Gov. Dean's campaign for President - we want to use this day as a demonstration of the netroots and grassroots across the nation" (The Hotline, June 2003). It was Howard Dean's campaign that tapped into the wellspring of person-to-person electronic communication and brought us "netroots," a word that joins the "net" of "Internet" with the "roots" of "grassroots."

Word History

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of netroots was in 2003

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near netroots

Cite this Entry

“Netroots.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/netroots. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!