put down roots

put down roots

if you put down roots in a place, you do things which show that you want to stay there, for example making friends or buying a home It would be hard to leave Brighton after eleven years - he's put down roots there.

See also: put, root

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put down roots

to feel that you belong in a place He hasn't put down roots anywhere because he has trouble making new friends.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form pull up roots (to move away from a place in which you felt comfortable): It's hard to pull up roots after living in the area for ten years.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of put down roots (to start to grow roots in the ground)

See also: put, root