root sth/sb out
— phrasal verb with root uk/ruːt/us/ruːt/verb
(SEARCH FOR)
informal to search and find something or someone that is difficult to find:
I've rooted out an old pair of shoes that might fit you.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Searching
- a needle in a haystack idiom
- beachcomber
- bounty hunter
- burrow
- cast around
- dig
- drag
- nose
- once-over
- pick
- pick through sth
- poke
- poke around
- seek
- trail
- turn a place inside out idiom
- turn sth upside down idiom
- wanted
- wild-goose chase
- witch hunt
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Finding and discovering
(GET RID OF)
to find and remove a person or thing that is causing a problem:
Ms Campbell has been appointed to root out inefficiency in this company.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Taking things away from someone or somewhere
- appropriate
- confiscate
- cream sth/sb off
- de-
- debug
- denude
- drain
- impound
- infringe on/upon sth
- knock
- knock sth out of sb
- nab
- relieve
- shelf
- suck
- suck sb/sth dry idiom
- sweep
- take sth out
- tow
- tow-away
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Removing and extracting