root out

phrasal verb

rooted out; rooting out; roots out

: to find and remove (something or someone)

The mayor was determined to root out corruption in city government.

: to find (something or someone) after searching for a long time

He finally rooted out the cause of the problem.

Examples of root out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Trump picked Cuffari to run the office in charge of rooting out corruption and misconduct inside the Department of Homeland Security, and he was confirmed by the Senate in 2019. —

Maria Sacchetti Andjacqueline Alemany The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 3 Aug. 2024 That background may prove relevant as Israel seeks to root out Hamas and install a new government in Gaza. —

Nicole Narea, Vox, 25 July 2024 Researchers rooted out attempts by Russia, China and Iran to influence elections on social media. —

Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 24 July 2024 The federal government’s work rooting out the corruption in previous administrations is what allowed our members to take back their union ... —

Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for root out

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'root out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.