Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

root for

Idioms  

  1. Cheer on, give moral support to, as in The fans were out rooting for their team, or I've been rooting for you to get that promotion. This expression may come from the British verb rout, which is used of cattle and means “bellow.” [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With all the issues the Angels are facing amid a long playoff drought, should their fans abandon the team and root for the Dodgers or some other team?

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m only not rooting for Londynn a couple of times a year,” Close said.

From Los Angeles Times

But he is also so paranoid, deluded and consumed with self-loathing that throughout this caustically witty novel we can’t help but root for him every step of the way.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I don’t have a favorite team, but I root for all of our guys, and I do the same thing with all the coaches.”

From The Wall Street Journal

But sometimes, its pursuit delivers something even more interesting and memorable than a banal picture of perfection: someone to root for, flaws and all.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.