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
But to rebuild trust in U.S. health care and root out unnecessary costs and mediocre outcomes, Oz, with the full backing of the administration, should politely listen to those arguments — and then ignore them.
—
Michael L. Millenson, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The lawyer articulated a different retributive vision, one that corresponds to, say, dismantling federal agencies via deregulation, or rooting out dark money—not just handcuffing Trump’s enemies for the camera.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
Román also said that no programs had been altered to comply with Trump’s directives aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Winner: Norton Security Features Collection Every antivirus worth its salt needs the ability to scan for and root out existing malware infestations, along with real-time protection to defend against new attacks.
—PC Magazine, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for root out
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Michael L. Millenson, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The lawyer articulated a different retributive vision, one that corresponds to, say, dismantling federal agencies via deregulation, or rooting out dark money—not just handcuffing Trump’s enemies for the camera.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
Román also said that no programs had been altered to comply with Trump’s directives aimed at rooting out diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on college campuses.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Winner: Norton Security Features Collection Every antivirus worth its salt needs the ability to scan for and root out existing malware infestations, along with real-time protection to defend against new attacks.
—PC Magazine, 8 May 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 23 May. 2025.
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