uproot

verb

uprooted; uprooting; uproots

transitive verb

1
: to remove as if by pulling up
2
: to pull up by the roots
3
: to displace from a country or traditional habitat
uprootedness noun
uprooter noun
Choose the Right Synonym for uproot

exterminate, extirpate, eradicate, uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something.

exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.

many species have been extirpated from the area

eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Examples of uproot in a Sentence

Many trees were uprooted by the storm. Will we ever be able to uproot racial prejudice? Taking the job would mean uprooting my family.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The inequity is stubborn and hard to uproot, according to Frazier. Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025 Placing Black genius in Afro-Caribbean hands allows musical lineages to be uprooted and recast by their descendants' hands. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 The trees that are uprooted are ones that have been growing in decline for years under different types of environmental stress. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 Grosse Pointe Garden Society has been uprooted: NBC has cancelled the murder mystery drama after one season, TVLine has confirmed. Claire Franken, TVLine, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for uproot

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of uproot was circa 1620

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Cite this Entry

“Uproot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uproot. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

uproot

verb
: to remove by or as if by pulling up by the roots
uproot a vine
families uprooted by war

More from Merriam-Webster on uproot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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