root for

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

“She’s going to root for them no matter what,” he said.

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It was a tight, defensive game, during which all the calls on the field were clearly correct, even the ones that didn’t serve the team I was rooting for.

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“The Dodgers released me, it’s hard to root for the Dodgers.”

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Audiences rooted for him to convince Tommy Lee Jones that he really was an innocent man: “I didn’t kill my wife.”

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“You have the ability to have your own wave, and everybody’s rooting for you to make your wave as opposed to getting yelled at in the lineup as a beginner or intermediate level surfer.”

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Related Words

• advocate 
• aid 
• assist 
• bolster 
• boost 
• develop 
• ease 
• favor 
• further 
• improve 
• invite 
• promote 
• reassure 
• reinforce 
• spur 
• strengthen 
• subsidize 
• support