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
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Detecting that a persona vector is actively engaged during a conversation and rooting out which persona vector is currently being utilized. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025 Then there were his attacks on nuclear sites in Iran and his constant threats to send troops to root out cartels in Mexico. Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025 Local leaders like Wences claim immigrants are wrongfully being detained by federal agents looking to root out violent criminals. Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 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 See All Example Sentences for root out

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Cite this Entry

“Root out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/root%20out. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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