take root

idiomatic phrase

1

of a plant : to grow and develop roots : to become rooted

… damage to the ecosystem makes it easier for nonnative plants … to take root and crowd out native vegetation.

—Mary K. Miller

2

: to become fixed or established

… providing the steadiness and resolve needed to ensure that civilizations can take root and flourish.

—Greg Grandin

A monstrous suspicion had begun to take root in his mind.

—P. G. Wodehouse

Examples of take root in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Gaza solidarity encampments take root at dozens of campuses across the U.S., many Democratic and Republican lawmakers—in addition to President Joe Biden—have accused protestors and colleges of rampant antisemitism. —Raz Segal, TIME, 14 May 2024

The comments against Cardi B took root in the comments section of Lii’s post, although some spun the debacle into a fruitful PR moment. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024

Those events established Columbia’s reputation as a hotbed of dissent where social and political change takes root before spreading to the rest of the country — often at great cost to the institution. —C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024

This verdant subgenre has taken root in the hearts and playlists enthusiasts, sprouting from the fertile soil of California and Northern Mexico’s cultural landscape. —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2024

With social media and the internet allowing artists to avoid the oligarchs that controlled local hip-hop, the jerkin’ movement took root among the region’s teenagers. —Liz Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

First, while the classic Nordic Jesus remains a popular image today in some churches, a movement to replace the White Jesus has long taken root in America. —John Blake, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024

Dual identities Park and Kim are among a generation of millennials who grew up in North Korea in the 1990s as capitalism took root in the theoretically communist state. —Michelle Lee, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Climbing hydrangea can also be used as ground cover, taking root where the suckers make contact with the ground and filling in the area. —Patricia S York, Southern Living, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1