root up

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to tear or dig up by the roots

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Example Sentences

The bottom feeding carp would root up weeds and consume floating algae.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2023

The forest birds, like so many island-bound creatures, have succumbed to wave after wave of invasive species, including feral hogs that root up native seed-bearing plants and mosquitoes that spread an avian form of malaria.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2021

The pigs — ill-tempered eating machines weighing 200 pounds or more — roam city streets, collide with cars, root up cemeteries and provide plot lines for reality TV shows like “Hog Hunters.”

From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2013

Shirley Temple Three is using her tusks to root up the dirt.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 17, 2012

“My granda always told me that fall’s the time to root up something you don’t want coming back to trouble you.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss