From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishroot something ↔ out phrasal verb1 STOP something THAT IS HAPPENINGto find out where a particular kind of problem exists and get rid of it Action is being taken to root out corruption in the police force.2 FINDto find something by searching for it I’ll try and root out something for you to wear. → root→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
root out• It might be impossible to root them out.• It was time, as a city documentary of the period declared, to root the cancer out.• Many gardeners find it hard to rip out a perennial flower that has taken root.• This is to stop the roots drying out.• It would have taken a battalion to root the fanatics out, and the casualties would have been horrendous.• There are those who root for teams out of sheer love of sport, and those who play just for fun.• Where the roots stick out the bank gives way to a hollow where the buffaloes are tethered during the day.• Comb from tip to root, working out the knots at the end before moving up the hair. 