to root on
- phrasal verb
- /ruːt ɒn/
- UK
- Her parents love to root on her at dance competitions.
Examples
-
We all went to the basketball game to root on our friends.
-
We all root on our team during the game!
-
The fans were loudly rooting on their team during the final match.
-
The fans rooted on the players with enthusiasm.
-
The crowd rooted on their favorite player as he prepared for the final match.
-
During the championship, the fans rooted on the underdog team with loud cheers.
-
As she performed on stage, her friends rooted on her by shouting encouraging phrases.
Synonyms
To shout to show support for someone or something
To cheer for someone or a team because you want them to win
To cheer for a person or team so they do well
Support someone in a competition or hard situation
To encourage someone to go faster or try harder
Lead cheers and encourage a team at a sports event
To give loud, cheerful support to someone to encourage them
To shout or cheer to support someone at a game
Antonyms
How Encouraging
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to encourage or support' is directly derivable from combining 'root' (to cheer or support) with the particle 'on', which adds a sense of continued or active encouragement. This verb+particle composition follows a common and compositional English pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb root on may come from the picture of giving someone roots like a plant; cheers act like those roots and help them stand and grow. That's why to root on someone means 'to encourage or support' by shouting or cheering.