definitions

put down roots

Settle somewhere, become established, as in We've put down roots here and don't want to move away. This metaphoric expression, first recorded in 1921, likens the rooting of a plant to human settlement.

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RELATED WORDS

live, establish, reside, settle, last, linger, hang, stop, delay, remain, continue, stand, locate, squat, park, abide, colonize, lodge, dwell, inhabit

Nearby words

put back, put back the clock, put behind one, put by, put down, put down roots, put forth, put forward, put hair on one's chest, put heads together, put ideas into someone's head
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.