root and branch
idiom
chiefly British
1
: complete or thorough
a root and branch overhaul of local schools
2
: completely or thoroughly
The laws were reformed root and branch.
Examples of root and branch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The great majority of the country’s monastic institutions were leveled to the ground; some 18,000 monks were killed; and, in a society where about one-third of the adult male population were lamas (though not all living in monasteries), Buddhism was ripped out root and branch.
—
Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Now, in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas that killed more than 1,500 people and upended that strategy, Israel is looking to tear Hamas out of Gaza root and branch in what most expect will be a long and bloody ground invasion.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
The system that allowed just a few countries to buy nearly all the world’s vaccine supply needs root and branch reform.
—Nahashon Aluoka, Forbes, 10 June 2021
To use these new tools wisely, oncologists will have to become de facto evolutionary biologists, examining the genetic variation present in each patient's cancer tissues and devising a strategy to destroy the cancer tree, root and branch.
—Jeffrey P. Townsend, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
So, Kevin Wilson's winless Big Ten season could be explained away: start of a new era, a root and branch rebuild.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Nov. 2021
In this worldview, trees fight tooth and nail (or root and branch) to draw sustenance from the soil, collect rain and access sunlight.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2021
But there’s room to do more, to rethink the system root and branch.
—Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2021
See More
Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
Now, in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas that killed more than 1,500 people and upended that strategy, Israel is looking to tear Hamas out of Gaza root and branch in what most expect will be a long and bloody ground invasion.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023
The system that allowed just a few countries to buy nearly all the world’s vaccine supply needs root and branch reform.
—Nahashon Aluoka, Forbes, 10 June 2021
To use these new tools wisely, oncologists will have to become de facto evolutionary biologists, examining the genetic variation present in each patient's cancer tissues and devising a strategy to destroy the cancer tree, root and branch.
—Jeffrey P. Townsend, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2018
So, Kevin Wilson's winless Big Ten season could be explained away: start of a new era, a root and branch rebuild.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Nov. 2021
In this worldview, trees fight tooth and nail (or root and branch) to draw sustenance from the soil, collect rain and access sunlight.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2021
But there’s room to do more, to rethink the system root and branch.
—Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'root and branch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near root and branch
Cite this Entry
“Root and branch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/root%20and%20branch. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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