What does "uproot" mean?
The act of uprooting something.
Uproot
/ˌʌpˈɹuːt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of uprooting something.
- Grammar: uproot is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: eradicate, abate, abolish, annihilate.
- Useful contrasts: replanted sapling, static planting, replant project.
- Usage evidence: Powerful winds on Earth can uproot trees, toss over cars, and destroy houses.
How to use "uproot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "uproot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "uproot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "uproot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "uproot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "uproot" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "eradicate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "uproot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of uprooting something.
"With the uproot of the Chinese commercial system in the 1890s such a crisis was bound to surface."
Verb
- 1 To tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots; to extirpate, to root up. transitive
"Mark me! the Lord's hand is stretched out, and will not be withdrawn until his nest be turned up, even as the plough uprooteth and scattereth the nest of the field-mouse and the blind mole; […]"
- 2 Of a pig or other animal: to dig up (something in the ground) using the snout; to rummage for (something) in the ground; to grub up, to root, to rout. transitive
- 3 pull up by or as if by the roots wordnet
- 4 To destroy (something) utterly; to eradicate, exterminate. figuratively, transitive
"[B]ravely bearing on, thy will / Is destined an eternal war to wage / With tyranny and falshood, and uproot / The germs of misery from the human heart."
- 5 destroy completely, as if down to the roots wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance, especially suddenly and unwillingly. figuratively, transitive
"[H]ave ye a Sultan who ruleth over you and is tyrannical in his rule and under whose hand you are; one who, if any of you commit an offence, taketh his goods and ruineth him and who, whenas he will, turneth you out of house and home and uprooteth you, stock and branch?"
- 7 move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment wordnet
- 8 Of oneself or someone: to move away from a familiar environment (for example, to live elsewhere). intransitive, reflexive
Antonyms
Example
"Powerful winds on Earth can uproot trees, toss over cars, and destroy houses."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "uproot"?
Common synonyms include: eradicate, abate, abolish, annihilate, avulse, banish.
How do you use "uproot" in a sentence?
Powerful winds on Earth can uproot trees, toss over cars, and destroy houses.
How do you pronounce "uproot"?
Pronounced /ˌʌpˈɹuːt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *wréh₂ds From up- (prefix indicating a higher direction or position) + root (“to tear up by the roots; (figuratively) to remove forcibly from a place; to eradicate, exterminate”, verb). Root is derived from root (“underground part of a plant”, noun), from Middle English rote, from Old English rōt, rōte, from Old Norse rót, from Proto-Germanic *wrōts, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wréh₂ds (“root”).
Etymology 2
From up- (prefix indicating a higher direction or position) + root (“of a pig or other animal: to dig or turn up with the snout; to search as if by digging in soil, rummage”, verb). Root is derived from Middle English wroten (“to dig or turn up with the snout; to remove soil, dig up”), from Old English wrōtan (“to dig or turn up with the snout”), from Proto-Germanic *wrōtaną (“to dig or turn up with the snout”); further etymology uncertain.