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
To that end, regulators need to be more diligent in rooting out scams.
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Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
The American budget, rooting out fraud and waste, and lowering the tax burden on America.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Stuart was a major part of the department’s efforts to root out fraud in federal health care programs.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
The watchdog agency is tasked with rooting out corruption, fraud and waste in city government.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for root out
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Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
The American budget, rooting out fraud and waste, and lowering the tax burden on America.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Stuart was a major part of the department’s efforts to root out fraud in federal health care programs.
—Chelsea Cirruzzo, STAT, 13 Feb. 2026
The watchdog agency is tasked with rooting out corruption, fraud and waste in city government.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for root out
Cite this Entry
“Root out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/root%20out. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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