Meaning & use
rooting on
Last updated
“rooting on” is a form of “root on”.
Meanings
phrasephrasal verbAmericaninformal
Giving loud support and encouragement to someone, especially at a game or competition.
Grammar: Mainly American; it takes an object: rooting on the team. The base form is 'root on'.
Patterns
- rooting someone on
- rooting on a team
- be rooting for someone
The whole crowd was rooting on the home team until the final whistle.
She kept rooting on her brother from the sidelines.
Fans were rooting on the runners as they passed the halfway mark.
phrasephrasal verbBritishslangvulgar
In British English, used informally in the phrase 'rooting on' to mean having sex with someone (crude).
Grammar: British slang; often avoided in polite or formal situations.
Patterns
- be rooting on someone
The comedy used 'rooting on' as a crude British slang joke.
In British slang, 'rooting on' can mean having sex, so the phrase can cause confusion.
Word forms
| base form | root on |
|---|---|
| third person singular | roots on |
| past tense | rooted on |
| past participle | rooted on |
| -ing form | rooting on |
Common combinations
- rooting on the team
- The students were rooting on the team from the front row.
- rooting on a friend
- He spent the whole race rooting on a friend who was running her first marathon.
- keep rooting on someone
- Even when the score was bad, we kept rooting on our players.
- be rooting on the sidelines
- Parents were rooting on the sidelines during the school soccer match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cheering on
- Cheering on is very close and common in both American and British English, while 'rooting on' is mainly American.
- supporting
- Supporting is more general and can be quiet or financial, whereas 'rooting on' suggests active, noisy encouragement.
- backing
- Backing often means giving practical or financial help, not just shouting encouragement.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rooting on or rooting for?
rooting on vs rooting for
In American English, 'rooting for' is the usual phrase for supporting someone, while 'rooting on' is also used but less common; both take an object.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'rooting on' in the usual American English sense?
Choose one answer.
'Rooting on' means actively cheering for someone, so 'rooting on their team' fits. 'Rooting for' is also correct but is a different phrase; 'rooting on the field' means standing on the field, and 'rooting on to' is not a standard pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rooting on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.