take root
idiomatic phrase
1
of a plant
: to grow and develop roots : to become rooted
… damage to the ecosystem makes it easier for nonnative plants … to take root and crowd out native vegetation.—
Mary K. Miller
Mary K. Miller2
: to become fixed or established
… providing the steadiness and resolve needed to ensure that civilizations can take root and flourish.—Greg Grandin
Greg GrandinA monstrous suspicion had begun to take root in his mind.—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Examples of take root in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dual identities Park and Kim are among a generation of millennials who grew up in North Korea in the 1990s as capitalism took root in the theoretically communist state.
—Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Climbing hydrangea can also be used as ground cover, taking root where the suckers make contact with the ground and filling in the area.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024
In 2020, as the pandemic took root, the Federal Reserve began buying mortgage bonds and government debt in large quantities — or what is known as quantitative easing.
—Angelo Fichera, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
As the climate shifts, so do allegiances, while young love takes root in this unpredictable environment.
—David Catlin, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
That hasn’t stopped this argument from taking root.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Born in 1862, Klimt is known as a leading figure in the Vienna Secession movement, which took root around the turn of the century and marked a rejection of establishment ideas about art’s purpose.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024
Located forty miles east of downtown Columbia is a golf club named after the pretty weed taking root in the Carolina Sandhills town of Rembert.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
More broadly, the notion of AI as not only helpful but essential to the future practice of medicine is beginning to take root.
—Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Climbing hydrangea can also be used as ground cover, taking root where the suckers make contact with the ground and filling in the area.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024
In 2020, as the pandemic took root, the Federal Reserve began buying mortgage bonds and government debt in large quantities — or what is known as quantitative easing.
—Angelo Fichera, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
As the climate shifts, so do allegiances, while young love takes root in this unpredictable environment.
—David Catlin, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024
That hasn’t stopped this argument from taking root.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024
Born in 1862, Klimt is known as a leading figure in the Vienna Secession movement, which took root around the turn of the century and marked a rejection of establishment ideas about art’s purpose.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024
Located forty miles east of downtown Columbia is a golf club named after the pretty weed taking root in the Carolina Sandhills town of Rembert.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
More broadly, the notion of AI as not only helpful but essential to the future practice of medicine is beginning to take root.
—Carolyn Barber, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take root.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of take root was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near take root
Cite this Entry
“Take root.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20root. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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