uproot
Americanverb (used with object)
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uproots,
present (3rd person singular)
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uprooted,
past participle, past
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uprooting
present participle
-
to pull out by or as if by the roots.
The hurricane uprooted many trees and telephone poles.
-
to remove violently or tear away from a native place or environment.
The industrial revolution uprooted large segments of the rural population.
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to destroy or eradicate as if by pulling out roots.
The conquerors uprooted many of the Native traditions.
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to displace, as from a home or country; tear away, as from customs or a way of life.
to uproot a people.
verb (used without object)
-
uproots,
present (3rd person singular)
-
uprooted,
past participle, past
-
uprooting
present participle
verb
-
to pull up by or as if by the roots
-
to displace (a person or persons) from native or habitual surroundings
-
to remove or destroy utterly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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uprootsimple
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uprootssimple
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have uprootedperfect
-
has uprootedperfect
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am uprootingprogressive
-
are uprootingprogressive
-
is uprootingprogressive
-
have been uprootingperfect progressive
-
has been uprootingperfect progressive
Past
-
uprootedsimple
-
had uprootedperfect
-
was uprootingprogressive
-
were uprootingprogressive
-
had been uprootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of uproot
Explanation
When you uproot people, you move them from one place to a completely new one. Your parents may need to uproot you if your mom gets a new job all the way across the country. One meaning of the verb uproot is "move," especially when a person is forced to move. Another way to use uproot is more literal: to pull a plant out of the ground, roots and all. You might, for example, uproot your favorite rose bush and replant it in a sunnier spot in your garden. Interestingly, the figurative sense of uproot is about a hundred years older than the literal meaning, which was first used in the late 1600's.
Vocabulary lists containing uproot
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Purple Hibiscus
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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.
See Examples For:
Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison faces a pivotal decision: Should he uproot his Hollywood studio — the birthplace of such film classics as “Sunset Boulevard,” “The Godfather” and “Beverly Hills Cop”?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Forests, he reasoned, don’t uproot and storm castles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
But Reger has no plans to uproot Neura's business, which is collaborating with German car component suppliers Bosch and Schaeffler on factory automation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
"I have family in Dumfries, so I wouldn't be looking to uproot them and move to Carlisle to take advantage of paying less tax at this amount," he said.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
He marveled that any force, even an earthquake, had been strong enough to uproot it.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Owners say they are easy to carry and set up and are safer than umbrellas, which can cause injuries or death when the wind uproots them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
The logging industry in Congo uproots precious old-growth trees for use in furniture and home construction, contributing to the destruction of forests — particularly when not regulated properly.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2022
It definitely is a very important topic, and something that needs to be addressed in a way that uproots all of it.
From The Verge ● Mar. 29, 2022
This is not rebuilding but de-building that destroys houses, uproots trees and generates tons of debris, irreversibly degrading charming neighborhoods.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 3, 2022
Cutting and keen are the words of Truth, and like a burnished plowshare, it enters the unsightly field and uproots everything in its path.
From The Right Knock A Story by Helen Van-Anderson
Three successive hurricanes tore through the spine of Florida’s citrus belt and uprooted entire groves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Images from the small village of Pomas, which was the hardest hit, showed uprooted trees, damaged cars and rubble from destroyed homes.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Yemen's years-long civil conflict killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and drove the country to the brink of famine before a 2022 truce restored relative calm.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
On its 53-mile path to the Pacific Ocean, water ripped through orchards, uprooted orange groves and flipped cars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
This was more serious than a few uprooted chrysanthemums.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
You’re uprooting your family and moving across the country for that?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Florence Chapelier, 53, moved to Normandy from the south of France last year, uprooting her and husband’s architectural-design business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
More than a million people displaced from the south face an "uprooting... with terrible repercussions," she said.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
Ours is an age not only of cultural backsliding but also of people uprooting themselves for the sake of safety and reinvention.
From Salon ● May 20, 2026
So they were stuck without much of an option aside from Wanda quitting the job she’d had for over a decade and uprooting themselves from the neighborhood where they’d built up a network.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
