root out

phrasal verb

rooted out; rooting out; roots out

1

: to find and remove (something or someone)

The mayor was determined to root out corruption in city government.

2

: to find (something or someone) after searching for a long time

He finally rooted out the cause of the problem.

Examples of root out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Local leaders claim immigrants are wrongfully being snatched off the street by federal agents looking to root out violent criminals. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

The administration says cuts are about rooting out fraud but some feel that the sweeping approach may punish organizations doing the most good. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025

The former Pleasanton police chief spoke during a board meeting Friday for the entity, adding that technicians planned to conduct tests in Martinez on a backup radio channel to try to root out the issue. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2025

By rooting out corruption in those other nations, program backers say, fewer people will want to leave. —Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for root out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout