noun
Meaning 1
The act of uprooting something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
uproot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Received-Pronunciation: /ˌʌpˈɹuːt/
-
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
General-American: /ˌʌpˈɹut/
-
rhymes with -uːt
-
CMU ARPABET: AH0 P R UW1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots; to extirpate, to root up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deracinate, disroot, grub up, outroot, rout, unroot
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To destroy (something) utterly; to eradicate, exterminate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: annihilate, obliterate, destroy, aerosolize, atomize, benothing, bewreck, blot out, blotto, dash, decompose, demolish, desolate, devastate, diffuse, disintegrate, disperse, dissolve, eliminate, eradicate, erase, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, fordo, fuck, harry, jazz, lay waste, level, liquidate, nuke, overthrow, overturn, pull down, pulverize, race, raze, ravage, ravel, remove, ruin, ruinate, stamp out, total, subvert, unbreed, unexist, unmake, uproot, waste, wipe out, wipe off, wreck
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance, especially suddenly and unwillingly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
Of oneself or someone: to move away from a familiar environment (for example, to live elsewhere).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, reflexive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
pull up by or as if by the roots
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- uproot the vine that has spread all over the garden
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: extirpate, deracinate, root out
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: move, displace
Narrower terms: stub
verb
Meaning 8
destroy completely, as if down to the roots
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted
- root out corruption
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: eradicate, extirpate, root out, exterminate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: destroy, destruct
verb
Meaning 9
move (people) forcibly from their homeland into a new and foreign environment
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The war uprooted many people
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deracinate
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: displace
History
Etymology
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”).
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.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Assamese: উঘাল (ughal) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Assamese: উভাল (ubhal) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Bulgarian: изкоренявам (izkorenjavam) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Bulgarian: изкореня (izkorenja) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Bulgarian: изтръгвам (iztrǎgvam) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Bulgarian: изтръгна (iztrǎgna) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Catalan: arrencar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Catalan: extirpar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Catalan: desarrelar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Estonian: juurima — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Finnish: juuria — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Fwe: tòmpòrà — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Galician: arrancar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Galician: arrigar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Galician: arrincar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Hebrew: עָקַר ('aqár) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Hebrew: שֵׁרַשׁ (shirrésh) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Hindi: उखाड़ना (ukhāṛnā) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Latin: ērādīcō — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Macedonian: о́ткорне (ótkorne) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Macedonian: иско́рени (iskóreni) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Magahi: 𑂍𑂥𑂰𑂚𑂩𑂪 (kabāṛal) — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Māori: ranga — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Polish: wykorzeniać — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Polish: wykorzenić — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: desraizar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: desarraigar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: desenraizar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: extirpar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: descepar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Spanish: erraigar — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Tumbuka: kuzgura — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Turkish: köklemek — to tear up (a plant, etc.) by the roots, or as if by the roots
- Bulgarian: изтръгвам (iztrǎgvam) — to remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance
- Bulgarian: изтръгна (iztrǎgna) — to remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance
- Catalan: desarrelar — to remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance
- German: entwurzeln — to remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance
- Spanish: desarraigar — to remove (someone or something) from a familiar circumstance
- Bulgarian: откъсвам се (otkǎsvam se) — of oneself or someone: to move away from a familiar environment
- Bulgarian: откъсна се (otkǎsna se) — of oneself or someone: to move away from a familiar environment