# rooting

/ˈɹutɪŋ/ (US) · /ɹˈuːtɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rooting
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. supporting a team

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal · American English

showing strong support for a person or team in a competition.

For teachers: expressing vocal or emotional support for a contestant or team. Often used with the preposition 'for'.

- I will be rooting for my sister during her tennis match this afternoon.
- Despite the team's poor performance earlier in the season, thousands of loyal fans were still rooting for them during the final championship game.

Usage: Typically used in the continuous form with 'for'.

### 2. searching through things

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

searching for something by moving things around with your hands.

For teachers: searching for an object by rummaging or moving items aside. Usually followed by 'around' or 'through'.

- She was rooting around in her bag looking for her car keys.
- He spent the entire morning rooting through old boxes in the attic, hoping to find the original deed to the house.

Usage: Often takes the particles 'around' or 'through'.

### 3. plants growing

verb · CEFR B2

the process of a plant starting to grow roots in the soil.

For teachers: the biological process of a plant or cutting developing a root system in a growth medium.

- The gardener checked to see if the rose cuttings were rooting in the pots.
- Successful propagation depends on the cuttings rooting quickly before the stems begin to rot in the humid environment.

Usage: Can be used as an intransitive verb.

### 4. a baby's reflex

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a natural movement a baby makes to find milk when their cheek is touched.

For teachers: an involuntary reflex in newborn mammals that assists in finding the mother's nipple for feeding.

- The nurse noticed the baby's rooting reflex whenever her cheek touched the blanket.
- The rooting reflex is a critical survival mechanism in infants, ensuring they can locate a food source immediately after birth.

Usage: Almost exclusively used in the phrase 'rooting reflex'.

## Examples

- The crowd was rooting for the home team.
- She spent the whole match rooting for her sister to win the race.
- Despite the odds, the community continued rooting for the underdog candidate throughout the long and bitter election campaign.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.