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

In all, over three days, this cross-country storm fanned wildfires, dust storms and created tornadoes that destroyed neighborhoods, uprooted trees and downed power lines from the central US through the South. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 22 Mar. 2025

Advertisement At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires, uprooting trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight states in the South and Midwest. —TIME, 20 Mar. 2025

Over the weekend, a twister outbreak ripped across seven states — Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana — uprooting trees, tearing apart homes and businesses and downing power lines. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2025

Tornadoes cause widespread destruction In Bakersfield, Missouri, the Weather Service survey showed several homes were destroyed and others damaged by the tornado, which ripped through the area around 8:30 on Friday evening, rolling cars up to 100 yards and uprooting numerous trees. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for uproot

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• compute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute

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