Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

root out

British  

verb

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

    we must root out inefficiency
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
root out Idioms  

  1. 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]

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.

Set in the Scottish Highlands, the contestants complete a number of challenges to win money for the prize pot and must try to root out and banish the traitors at a roundtable discussion each night.

From BBC

She also referenced the fraud scandal that led to Walz ending his campaign, saying: "I will make sure the people who steal taxpayer money go to jail and root out the fraud."

From BBC

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, said the government was "stabilising the economy, reducing borrowing, rooting out waste in the public sector".

From BBC

Last month, Kim vowed to root out "evil" and scolded lazy officials at a major meeting of Pyongyang's top brass.

From Barron's

And still others poked fun at how ineffective internal investigations can be at rooting out problem officers and pervasive police shootings.

From Los Angeles Times

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.