Alice rooted around in her desk drawer for a pen.
•I'll root around here and see if I can find it.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
root around — PHRASAL VERB If you root around or root about in something, you look for something there, moving things around as you search. [V P prep] It s in here somewhere, he said, rooting about in his desk. [Also V P] Syn: rummage (in BRIT, also use root… … English dictionary
root — root1 W2S3 [ru:t] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(plant)¦ 2¦(cause of a problem)¦ 3¦(origin/main part)¦ 4¦(family connection)¦ 5 put down roots 6¦(tooth/hair etc)¦ 7 take root 8 have a (good) root round 9¦(language)¦ … Dictionary of contemporary English
root — 1 /ru:t/ noun (C) 1 PLANT the part of a plant or tree that grows under the ground and gets water from the soil: Be careful not to damage the roots when repotting. | tree roots 2 CAUSE OF A PROBLEM the main cause of a problem: Money is the root of … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
root — root1 [ rut ] noun *** ▸ 1 part of plant ▸ 2 part of hair/tooth/nail ▸ 3 origins/background ▸ 4 main cause/idea ▸ 5 in mathematics ▸ 6 basic form of word ▸ 7 base of chord in music ▸ 8 end of nerve ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) count the part of a plant that… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
root — root1 rootlike, adj. /rooht, root/, n. 1. a part of the body of a plant that develops, typically, from the radicle and grows downward into the soil, anchoring the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture. 2. a similar organ developed from some… … Universalium
root — [[t]ru͟ːt[/t]] ♦♦♦ roots, rooting, rooted 1) N COUNT: usu pl The roots of a plant are the parts of it that grow under the ground. ...the twisted roots of an apple tree. 2) V ERG If you root a plant or cutting or if it roots, roots form on the… … English dictionary
root — I UK [ruːt] / US [rut] noun Word forms root : singular root plural roots *** 1) [countable] the part of a plant that grows under the ground, through which the plant gets water and food Olive trees have deep roots. 2) [countable] the part of a… … English dictionary
root — I. /rut / (say rooht) noun 1. a part of the body of a plant which, typically, develops from the radicle, and grows downwards into the soil, fixing the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture. 2. a similar organ developed from some other part… …
root*/*/ — [ruːt] noun I 1) [C] the part of a plant that grows under the ground Olive trees have deep roots.[/ex] 2) [C] the part of a hair, tooth, or nail that is under your skin 3) [C] a basic cause or idea We need to get to the root of the problem.[/ex]… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
root — I [[t]rut, rʊt[/t]] n. 1) bot a part of the body of a plant that develops, typically, from the radicle and grows downward into the soil, anchoring the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture 2) bot any underground part of a plant, as a rhizome … From formal English to slang
root about — verb a) To forage by poking the snout here and there. Im rooting about for ideas for a novel b) To rummage; to look for something in a somewhat aimless fashion … Wiktionary
