uproot

verb

up·​root (ˌ)əp-ˈrüt  -ˈru̇t 

uprooted; uprooting; uproots

transitive verb

1

: to remove as if by pulling up

2

: to pull up by the roots

3

: to displace from a country or traditional habitat

uprootedness noun

uprooter noun

Synonyms

• corkscrew
• extract
• prize
• pry
• pull
• root (out)
• tear (out)
• wrest
• wring
• yank

Choose the Right Synonym for uproot

exterminate, extirpate, eradicate, uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something.

exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.

many species have been extirpated from the area

eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Examples of uproot in a Sentence

Many trees were uprooted by the storm.

Will we ever be able to uproot racial prejudice?

Taking the job would mean uprooting my family.

Recent Examples on the Web

As blazes rage across the Southland, those uprooted by the wildfires that have devastated some of the wealthiest enclaves of Los Angeles — in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu — are desperately looking for a new place to settle down. —Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2025

But by late afternoon, a federal judge temporarily blocked the push from Trump to pause federal funding while his administration conducts an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2025

The majority of the trees that toppled onto the capital city were healthy, uprooted by heavy rainfall and strong winds. —The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2025

The order is truly sweeping in its breadth; its immediate effect is to uproot with one stroke the vast bulk of the federal infrastructure of affirmative action and DEI protocols and hiring practices. —The Editors, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uproot

verb

up·​root (ˌ)ə-ˈprüt  -ˈpru̇t 

: to remove by or as if by pulling up by the roots

uproot a vine

families uprooted by war