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

His malady takes root during a professional down period, and financial dread lurks in the background here, making each new physical issue that much more harrowing. —Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024

Place a clear plastic bag over the cutting to increase humidity and keep the pot in a warm spot in the house with bright indirect light until the cutting takes root. —Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Dec. 2024

Yet beneath this surface turbulence, a slower, more fundamental change was taking root. —Dr. Alex Gold, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

What might happen if her sense of injustice takes root? —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1