ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rooting

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɹutɪŋ// UK //ɹˈuːtɪŋ// root·ing

v. to support someone or a team strongly, often by cheering. You do this when you want them to succeed.

v. to express strong support for a person, team, or cause, typically by cheering or showing enthusiasm.


SIMPLE

The crowd was rooting for the home team.

CONTEXTUAL

She spent the whole match rooting for her sister to win the race.

COMPLEX

Despite the odds, the community continued rooting for the underdog candidate throughout the long and bitter election campaign.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English rotynge (“rooting”); equivalent to root + -ing.

Usage

The verb is intransitive and typically takes the preposition 'for'.

Pitfall

I am rooting the teamI am rooting for the teamThe verb requires the preposition 'for' to introduce the object of support.

Idioms1 entry

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