as in to pry
to draw out by force or with effort uprooted the old bridge's pilings upon the completion of its replacement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb uproot differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of uproot are eradicate, exterminate, and extirpate. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

In what contexts can eradicate take the place of uproot?

While in some cases nearly identical to uproot, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

When is it sensible to use exterminate instead of uproot?

The words exterminate and uproot can be used in similar contexts, but exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

When would extirpate be a good substitute for uproot?

The synonyms extirpate and uproot are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of uproot The Power Of Conversation Of the over 100 people employed at the Winston-Salem facility, most had never left North Carolina, let alone considered uprooting their lives. Marie Quintana, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 Last December, Deadline reported that Dutton Ranch will likely welcome some familiar faces from the Yellowstone universe, which makes sense since the show isn't uprooting its characters and will directly follow the events of its predecessor. Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025 Exhausted and despairing, many Palestinians had their own reasons for refusing to pack up and uproot themselves again. Wafaa Shurafa, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025 The damaging winds uprooted trees and tore roof shingles in neighborhoods around Carmichael, knocking out power to more than 13,000 SMUD customers in Sacramento’s northeast suburbs. Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for uproot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uproot
Verb
  • Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Russia launched its first major wave of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine in nearly a month, pounding sites across the country on Sunday and leaving Kyiv hardest hit as rescue workers scrambled to pull people from the rubble.
    Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • An engineer recently wrapped a chain around a humanoid robot’s neck and violently yanked it.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Jessica Chastain has responded to Apple TV+’s decision to yank her new series, The Savant, which was originally due to release on Friday, September 26.
    Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Brandon was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene and helped extract her body from the vehicle.
    Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
  • An en-route hydrovac crew would extract the water, and an on-the-way front loader would remove the mud and debris, ADOT added.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Ortega, 22, hit the red carpet in a look plucked straight from Givenchy's runway show, which featured several oversized jewels that draped against her chest and upper body.
    Starr Bowenbank, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
  • You got plucked from obscurity to do this project.
    Chris Lee, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Uproot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uproot. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on uproot

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