The concept of rooting for the team originated in America, sometime between 1885 and 1890. 'Rooting' for a team is an American expression. The correct spelling is rooting (cheering for a team). His whole hometown was rooting for him as he made his professional boxing debut on live television. In Britain, that would be a much more "hands-on" kind of support. "I'm rooting for you", in this context, root would be defined as follows: root /rut or, sometimes, rʊt/ [objectless verb] (1) to encourage a team or contestant by cheering or applauding enthusiastically (2) to lend moral support. What does rooting for you expression mean? Synonyms for rooting include enrooting, embedding, engraining, entrenching, establishing, grounding, imbedding, implanting, ingraining and intrenching. root vi. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. Definition of rooting for you in the Idioms Dictionary. It is thought to be related to the word rout, which has several meanings. 1. The most common definition of root is the underground portion of a plant (though this sense is usually used metaphorically).It has many other meanings, however, including (1) to dig with the snout or nose, (2) to rummage, and (3) to give audible encouragement for a contestant or team. Courier, "There's two guys in the locker room rooting loudly for her." Jim Courier, the American tennis player, was commenting on a match for Australian television.A female player was close to victory on court, while the players for the next match wanted her to close out the match so they could get on court. To cheer for a sports team. rooting for you phrase. 1 @WS2 Good point. Origin: 1885-90, Americanism; perhaps variant of rout /raʊt, rut/ [verb] to bellow, roar [noun] a bellow. Uses of 'Rout' In America it means cheering, in Australia it means fucking. team (n.) Old English team "descendant, family, race, line; child-bearing, brood; company, band; set of draft animals yoked together," from Proto-Germanic *tau(h)maz (source also of Old Norse taumr, Old Frisian tam "bridle; progeny, line of descent," Dutch toom, Old High German zoum, German Zaum "bridle"), probably literally "that which draws," from PIE *douk-mo-, from root *deuk-"to lead." – WS2 Feb 27 '14 at 20:20. Root is an offensive Australian slang verb meaning ``have sexual intercourse with''. See more. The spelling routing means directing. Root for definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. The exact origin of the fourth homograph—the "cheering" one ("rooting for the underdog," "fans rooting their team on")—is a mystery, but it may be a 19th-century alteration of rout, a British dialectal verb meaning "to low loudly" or "to bellow" (as cattle do, and sometimes fans). root for (someone or something) To encourage, support, or cheer for someone or something; to wish the best for someone or something in an endeavor or activity. Announcing to an Australian that you ``are a cheerleader, so you don't see many football games because you are in the stands rooting'' will give a misleading impression about your devotion to the team. 2. No one in Britain can understand it, nor what 'rooting' has to do with cheering, supporting, or being a fan. Look it up now! Root definition, a part of the body of a plant that develops, typically, from the radicle and grows downward into the soil, anchoring the plant and absorbing nutriment and moisture.