take root

idiomatic phrase

1

of a plant : to grow and develop roots : to become rooted

… damage to the ecosystem makes it easier for nonnative plants … to take root and crowd out native vegetation.

—Mary K. Miller

2

: to become fixed or established

… providing the steadiness and resolve needed to ensure that civilizations can take root and flourish.

—Greg Grandin

A monstrous suspicion had begun to take root in his mind.

—P. G. Wodehouse

Examples of take root in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Without attention to these areas, burnout can take root, no matter how many wellness programs are offered. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

The unique solution took root in Green Bay, because Green Bay is unique. —Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 7 Sep. 2024

After decades as a common premise in comics, the trope has in recent years taken root in movies, television, and literature. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024

German centrists – despite a decades-long mission to ensure a movement like Nazism never again takes root in society – have not been immune to this rightward momentum either. —Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1