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put down roots

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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: down, put, root

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: down, put, root

put down roots

Settle somewhere, become established, as in We've put down roots here and don't want to move away. This metaphoric expression, first recorded in 1921, likens the rooting of a plant to human settlement.

See also: down, put, root

put down roots

To establish a permanent residence in a locale.

See also: down, put, root