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 their shallow root systems, addled by disease, the trees wouldn’t put up much resistance.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Trees might look like they’re throwing their leaves away in autumn, but they’re actually carefully placing them over their root systems, where they can break down and build healthy soil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

By the following spring, the first wildflowers had sprung up, and the native plants were digging deep root systems.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2025

Young saplings need moisture to build strong root systems, and the wet weather also relieved stress in some older trees which had been suffering during the parched weather.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2024

The buildings seemed to have been situated to make room for giant trunks and root systems, and in the wavering torchlight, they looked almost as if they had grown out of the trees themselves.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo