root (out)

verb

Definition of root (out)next
1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of a concerted effort to root out prejudice of any kind in the armed services

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to pull
to draw out by force or with effort a dog rooting out a buried toy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to find
to come upon after searching, study, or effort a journalist seeking to root out and expose corruption in the gaming industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for root (out)
  1. eradicate
  2. pull
  3. find
  4. erase
  5. extract
  6. learn
  7. abolish
  8. yank
Verb
  • Tlaib is also a prominent critic of Israel; her rhetoric has been chastised by Jewish colleagues as an antisemitic call for eradicating Jews, a charge the congresswoman and her supporters reject.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980 and no longer naturally circulates, was once one of the world's deadliest diseases.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of eradicate
Verb
  • Disney pulled a series of strategic levers to get people through their park gates at a time when many are being choosy about how to spend their dollars, according to industry analysts.
    — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Another moment was marked by mourning, as a man was pulled from a building in the same city, lifeless and covered in a white blanket.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of pull
Verb
  • Officers at the scene found a man who had been hit by a fleeing vehicle.
    — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes poison ivy will creep into beds from nearby woodlands, but these plants can also find their way into flower beds via seeds dropped by birds.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of find
Verb
  • The Cubs offense quickly erased the 1-0 deficit behind four consecutive hitters reaching with two outs in the top of the second.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Reading scores of New York City public school students plummeted this past school year, erasing improvements in the subject recorded a year before, sparking calls from the teachers’ union for a change in approach.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of erase
Verb
  • The fees that Levy was able to extract in part justified the policy.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • High outdoor temperatures require the grapes to be cooled before being gently pressed in stainless steel machines to extract the highest quality free-run juice, a crucial step in sparkling wine production that cannot be rushed.
    — Colleen Barry, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of extract
Verb
  • The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities and cultivate and keep an audience.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • But by the next month, Tufts learned Clancy had started taking multiple other medications prescribed by another provider.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of learn
Verb
  • Some members sought to amend the resolution to call for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hong branded herself as a fighter for the working class, advocated for universal childcare and called to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    — Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of abolish
Verb
  • The officer is also seen putting a woman in a patrol car — the same woman who is shown on the ground having her hair yanked by an officer.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • This bestselling line of classic creepy characters is yanked straight from your best memories of Halloween as a child.
    — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of yank
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.

Browse Nearby Words

rooting (out)
root (out)
roots
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Root (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/root%20%28out%29. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All