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Glite Dictionary
to root about

to root about

7.0
To search through a place or container in a messy way
  • phrasal verb
  • /ruːt əˈbaʊt/
  • UK
translation icon : revolver

Examples

  • Jack roots about in some garbage cans, finds a stick.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • But I'm just gonna... just gonna root about, try and increase the scope of my anthropological study.

    Fetching Cody (2005)

  • Though they had plenty of opportunity to root about in the foliage and so on, the net result is still that four lovely chickens have died.

    Blog text (19)

  • Every evening I watched the bomber squadrons heading out over Somerleyton, and night after night, before I went to sleep, I pictured in my mind's eye the German cities going up in flames, the firestorms setting the heavens alight and the survivors rooting about in the ruins.

    Blog text (3)

  • She had to root about in the drawer to find her missing keys.

  • The children loved to root about in the garden, looking for hidden treasures.

  • When searching for old photos, I often root about in the attic.

Synonyms

to comb
vsto root about
66 3.3

To search a place very carefully to find something

focuses on messy thorough searching rather than careful examination
to scour
vsto root about
57 5.1

To search a place carefully to find someone or something

is similar but is more disorderly and less careful
to ransack
vsto root about
38 6.3

To search a place roughly and steal things while making a mess

is similar but may be less violent or destructive
to rummage
vsto root about
35 3.8

To search through things quickly by moving them around

is similar but can be slower or less hurried
to root
vsto root about
14 9.0

To dig in the ground with the nose, as pigs do

refers to human searching through places or containers rather than animal digging
to rifle
vsto root about
8 6.7

To search quickly and carelessly through places like drawers to steal things

is about thorough or disorderly searching without theft implication
to ferret around
vsto root about
  • Informal
7.4

To search carefully through things in a small place like a bag or box

is more about messy searching than curious careful examination
to grub
vsto root about
8.2

To dig in the ground or search through things with hands

applies to searching containers or places rather than digging in ground

Antonyms

to organize
  • US
662 1.6

Arrange people, things, and activities so they work well

to tidy
42 1.0

To make a place neat by putting things away

How Thorough

to root about
  • UK
7.0
to search
∞ 1.0
to look
∞ 1.0
to peek
119 1.1

Surface Forms

root about infinitive
rooted about past
rooted about past participle
rooting about present participle
roots about third person singular

Morphology

root + about

The sense 'to search through/rummage' is motivated by combining 'root' (dig/search) with 'about' (around), so the meaning is partly derivable from the parts. However, it relies on a metaphorical extension from an animal's digging action to human rummaging, a shift that may not be fully predictable for a B1 learner, making comprehension likely but not guaranteed without prior exposure.

Etymology

Root about may come from animals like pigs that push their noses into the ground to dig for food. When a pig roots about it makes a messy searching movement, so the phrase means 'to search through or rummage in a place'.