root out
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To destroy or remove something completely, eliminating it at its source or foundation. This meaning emphasizes total eradication, as if pulling something out by its roots to prevent regrowth.
- To find and remove people or things that are causing problems. This meaning focuses on the action of searching for and eliminating undesirable elements from a group or system.
Usage
- The verb "root out" is typically used with an object (a problem, a person, a practice). It implies a deliberate, thorough, and often difficult process of removal.
- It is commonly used in contexts like corruption, inefficiency, crime, or ideological opposition.
Examples
- The new mayor vowed to root out corruption from the city government.
- The company is implementing new software to help root out inefficiencies in the production process.
- It took years for the community to root out the gang's influence.
- The general ordered his troops to root out the enemy spies hiding in the village.
Advanced Usage
- "to be rooted out": The passive form is common, describing the state of something being completely removed.
- Such outdated practices must be rooted out for the organization to modernize.
- Used figuratively for non-physical things like traditions, ideas, or habits.
- The reform aimed to root out the deep-seated prejudice within the institution.
Variants and Related Words
- Uproot (verb): Often used synonymously with "root out," especially in the literal sense of pulling a plant from the ground or the figurative sense of removing someone from their home or habitat.
- The storm uprooted many trees.
- Families were uprooted by the war.
- Eradicate (verb): A close synonym meaning to destroy completely.
- Extirpate (verb): A more formal synonym meaning to destroy totally.
Synonyms
- Eliminate: To completely remove or get rid of.
- Erase: To remove all traces of.
- Stamp out: To end something by using force or strong action.
- Weed out: To remove unwanted elements from a group.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Root for (someone/something): To support or cheer for a person or team. (NOTE: This is a distinct phrasal verb with a completely different meaning.)
- We all rooted for the underdog in the competition.
- Root around (for something): To search for something by moving things around.
- He was rooting around in the drawer for a pen.
Related Idioms
- "To get to the root of the problem": To find the original cause of a problem. This idiom is related in concept but is not the same as "root out."
- We need to get to the root of the problem before we can solve it.
Verb
- destroy completely, as if down to the roots
- the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted root out corruption
- pull up by or as if by the roots
- uproot the vine that has spread all over the garden