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
Albania has been on a mission to root out corruption for the past decade, embarking on a widespread vetting process of every judge in the country, and creating specialized anti-corruption bodies to prosecute graft, to improve its chance of acceding to the European Union.
—
Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In a scathing departure letter, Ben'Ary set his sights squarely on the Justice Department's leadership and labeled his removal as just one in a series of recent moves taken to root out career officials for political reasons at the expense of the nation's security.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
The findings raise questions about how effective the state is at rooting out cops who have violated their duties.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Similar requests for voter registration have been made to election officials in more than 25 states in the name of rooting out voters who are not authorized to live in the United States.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for root out
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In a scathing departure letter, Ben'Ary set his sights squarely on the Justice Department's leadership and labeled his removal as just one in a series of recent moves taken to root out career officials for political reasons at the expense of the nation's security.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
The findings raise questions about how effective the state is at rooting out cops who have violated their duties.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
Similar requests for voter registration have been made to election officials in more than 25 states in the name of rooting out voters who are not authorized to live in the United States.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
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 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share