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
Despite Luna establishing the Office of Constitutional Policing to root out deputy gangs, the county inspector general argued earlier this year that LASD had made no systemic effort to identify gang members within its ranks or investigate group misconduct.
—
Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Albania has been on a mission to root out corruption for the past decade, embarking on a widespread vetting process of every judge in the country, and creating specialized anti-corruption bodies to prosecute graft, to improve its chance of acceding to the European Union.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In a scathing departure letter, Ben'Ary set his sights squarely on the Justice Department's leadership and labeled his removal as just one in a series of recent moves taken to root out career officials for political reasons at the expense of the nation's security.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
The findings raise questions about how effective the state is at rooting out cops who have violated their duties.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for root out
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Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Albania has been on a mission to root out corruption for the past decade, embarking on a widespread vetting process of every judge in the country, and creating specialized anti-corruption bodies to prosecute graft, to improve its chance of acceding to the European Union.
—Tharin Pillay, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
In a scathing departure letter, Ben'Ary set his sights squarely on the Justice Department's leadership and labeled his removal as just one in a series of recent moves taken to root out career officials for political reasons at the expense of the nation's security.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
The findings raise questions about how effective the state is at rooting out cops who have violated their duties.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 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 24 Oct. 2025.
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