root out

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to remove or eliminate completely

   we must root out inefficiency

Idioms and Phrases

Search for, seek to discover, as in He was trying to root out the reason for her long absence. This idiom alludes to the way hogs dig by using their snouts. [Mid-1800s]

Related Words

• bore 
• bulldoze 
• burrow 
• clean 
• discover 
• dredge 
• drill 
• enter 
• excavate 
• exhume 
• go into 
• gouge 
• harvest 
• penetrate 
• scoop 
• search 
• shovel 
• sift 
• uncover 
• unearth