root
/ɹut/ verb C2- To turn up or dig with the snout. · A pig roots the earth for truffles.
- To seek favour or advancement by low arts or grovelling servility; to fawn.
- To rummage; to search as if by digging in soil. · rooting about in a junk-filled drawer
- Of a baby: to turn the head and open the mouth in search of food.
- To root out; to abolish.
- To tug or pull at the reins aggressively by driving the head downwards while wearing a bit.
He/she/it roots · Past rooted · Past participle rooted · -ing form rooting
Verb forms
- Base form
- root
- He/she/it
- roots
- Past
- rooted
- Past participle
- rooted
- -ing form
- rooting
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
While Madame de Villefort remained rooted to the spot like a statue of terror, and Villefort, with his head hidden in the bedclothes, saw nothing around him, d’Avrigny approached the window, that he might the better examine the contents of the glass, and dipping the tip of his finger in, tasted it.
Villefort and Madame Danglars remained for a moment, as if rooted to their seats; they questioned each other with vague and stupid glances.
“Certainly; your name is popular, and does honor to the title they have adorned it with; but you are too intelligent not to know that according to a prejudice, too firmly rooted to be exterminated, a nobility which dates back five centuries is worth more than one that can only reckon twenty years.”
“I am sorry to see a pupil of mine displaying such a temper and such a vindictive spirit,” he said in a solemn tone, as if the mere fact of being a pupil of his ought to root out all evil passions from the hearts of small imperfect mortals.
Other matches
- root The part of a plant, generally underground, tha... A2
- root To grow roots C2
- root To cheer C2
- root An act of rummaging or searching. C2
- root about To forage by poking the snout here and there.
- root around To forage by poking the snout here and there.
- root out To remove or abolish completely.
- root up To dig or pull up by the roots.
Learn root in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.