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
This provides plenty of space to spread the roots out laterally.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
This has become the central theme of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City—probably the most chaotic show in its franchise—whose characters are always trying to root out which of their frenemies is furtively digging up dirt and spreading rumors about their legal or financial woes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Fear and stigma Montgomery says the goal is to identify medications for survivors that can reach into sanctuary sites and root out any hidden virus.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
The administration has argued its work is a long-overdue means of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.
—Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for root out
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Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
This has become the central theme of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City—probably the most chaotic show in its franchise—whose characters are always trying to root out which of their frenemies is furtively digging up dirt and spreading rumors about their legal or financial woes.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Fear and stigma Montgomery says the goal is to identify medications for survivors that can reach into sanctuary sites and root out any hidden virus.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
The administration has argued its work is a long-overdue means of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.
—Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 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 13 Nov. 2025.
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