root and branch

phrase

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

Regular root and branch pruning, as well as soil renewal every five years—or more frequently every two to three years in some cases—ensures health and vigor, best done during winter dormancy or early spring. — Benjamin Whitacre, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Dec. 2025

Not at his attempts to wreak personal vengeance, reconstitute Washington root and branch, or engineer a lasting partisan realignment. — Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2024

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

Rhymes for root and branch

• avalanche
• blanch
• cranch
• manche
• ranch
• stanch
• tranche