uproot

verb

up·​root (ˌ)əp-ˈrüt  -ˈru̇t 

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

Synonyms

• corkscrew
• extract
• prize
• pry
• pull
• root (out)
• tear (out)
• wrest
• wring
• yank

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

There can be houses flying away just a mile away and trees being uprooted in the other direction. —Jordan Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024

Gulf Coast residents and authorities alike were still assessing the damage after a series of powerful storms destroyed homes, uprooted trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024

Advertisement When coupled with all of the other challenges that come with uprooting one’s life and moving to a foreign country 6,000 miles away, Yamamoto didn’t always look settled. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

The 82-year-old woman, identified by police as Mary Baker, was in a car stopped at an intersection when a tree uprooted and smashed into the vehicle. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

In the second half of the 20th century, the establishment and expansion of public universities across Virginia uprooted Black families, hindering their efforts to accumulate wealth in the most American way — homeownership. —Brandi Kellam, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024

But this unprecedented expansion of the government’s authority would uproot America’s research ecosystem. —Carol Mimura, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024

What most alarms Washington are the Palestinian civilians, many of whom have already been displaced multiple times and are wary of being uprooted again. —Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024

Powerful storms had already uprooted trees in Kentucky by midday on Tuesday. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uproot

verb

up·​root (ˌ)ə-ˈprüt  -ˈpru̇t 

: to remove by or as if by pulling up by the roots

uproot a vine

families uprooted by war