How to Use grassroots in a Sentence

grassroots

1 of 2 adjective
  • This is where the fear at a grassroots level starts to come out.
    — Sara Georgini, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
  • There was a great sort of grassroots feeling about it.
    — Matt Thompson, SPIN, 4 May 2026
  • Does the area have grassroots support?
    — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
  • When the elite fail to lead, grassroots movements must compel them to do so.
    — Paul Laudicina, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2022
  • But Brody pushed back against the idea that this was a grassroots movement in any way.
    — Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The sport’s grassroots footprint helps explain the spread.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026
  • Indeed, much of the work with girls is being done at the grassroots level.
    — Anne M. Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Feb. 2023
  • No one in this grassroots community wants psychedelics to go down that road.
    — Robert Johnson, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2022
  • The new law was made possible by years of grassroots efforts.
    — Daniel Eduardo Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2024
  • So when morale collapses, cracks start to show at the grassroots level.
    — Hugh Cameron, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
  • What makes a grassroots success story?
    — William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The answer lies in grassroots activism.
    — Leslie Hoyle Guerra, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
  • Their grassroots campaign stopped the highway.
    — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The numbers at the grassroots level speak for themselves.
    — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2026
  • In some areas, they are met with grassroots resistance.
    — Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Yet the rising grassroots efforts are seen by many as an important sign of hope.
    — Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2021
  • So is this really up to grassroots groups and state governments at this point?
    — CBS News, 2 Apr. 2023
  • Maybe the return to grassroots events and playing for each other is what success could mean.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 June 2024
  • That won’t change until a more diverse group of kids starts playing at the grassroots level.
    — Carol Schram, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021
  • One of its primary goals is to unify grassroots efforts across the state.
    — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Activists began a grassroots effort to do that last year but haven’t made headway.
    — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 25 Feb. 2021
  • There are many, many screenings of the film in grassroots areas with local leaders.
    — Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
  • What made the difference was the grassroots movement on the other side.
    — Tom Steyer, Fortune, 28 May 2024
  • There is little wrong at the grassroots level of track and field, which has been the fastest-growing sport in high school.
    — David Woods, The Indianapolis Star, 14 July 2022
  • That’s why a grassroots backlash to Big Tech is growing.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Sir bought cameras and learned how to edit video to help with grassroots marketing efforts.
    — Jon Freeman, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2023
  • For now, the vaccine hunters are continuing their grassroots effort to get shots in arms.
    — Amy Schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2021
  • How about at grassroots level, where takings from the bar can still be vital to a club’s very existence?
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 26 May 2026
  • In the void, small, grassroots organizations began to sprout when war broke out two years ago.
    — Chris Boccia, ABC News, 13 July 2025
  • Meanwhile, there is a grassroots effort to put the brakes on these delivery robots.
    — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

grass roots

2 of 2 noun
  • Thatch can prevent water and air from reaching the grass roots.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The party has a good bench and there was significant grass roots growth the past four years.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • On top of that, the immature grubs chew through grass roots and create dead patches in your lawn.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 May 2026
  • The plastic underneath the grass ensures grass roots only go down so far.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 23 June 2026
  • Water deeply and regularly to help the grass roots and crown recover and send out new growth.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The goal is always to add nutrients when grass roots are actively growing.
    — Charlotte Germane, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Aeration is the process of putting small holes into the soil so water, air, and nutrients can reach the grass roots.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
  • Aeration is the process of putting small holes into the soil so water, air, and nutrients can reach the grass roots.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2026
  • To avoid bending that may cause an achy back, use a standard garden hoe to slide beneath the gravel and slice weed and grass roots and stems.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 2026
  • During the heat of summer, those grass roots are just biding their time, waiting for the temperatures to go back down.
    — Charlotte Germane, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Aeration reduces soil compaction and lets air, water, and nutrients reach grass roots.
    — Nishaa Sharma, The Spruce, 17 Apr. 2026
  • Adult beetles skeletonize foliage, while their larvae, known as grubs, feed on grass roots, resulting in brown patches and dying lawns.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 June 2026
  • To repair the damage, lightly rake the problem areas to improve air circulation and allow more sunlight to the grass roots.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The adult beetles emerge in late spring to early summer, but the larvae, or grubs, also are responsible for chewing on turf grass roots in mid to late summer.
    — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Aug. 2025
  • With that in mind, both women are encouraged by the new cohort of up-and-coming politicians who draw their energy from the grass roots, not the corporate class.
    — Rachel Monroe, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Vought and his colleagues toured the country, whipping up the grass roots, and poured millions of dollars into advertisements and lobbying.
    — Andy Kroll, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • While some amount of thatch can benefit your lawn, a thick layer of organic matter prevents light, air, nutrients, and moisture from reaching grass roots.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
  • While some amount of thatch can benefit your lawn, a thick layer of organic matter prevents light, air, nutrients, and moisture from reaching grass roots.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Dethatching and aerating the lawn will reduce organic matter and help water reach deep into the grass roots rather than puddling on the surface.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2025
  • By removing this layer of dead grass and organic debris, water, air, and nutrients are better able to penetrate to the grass roots.
    — David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Prevent grubs by maintaining strong grass roots with deep, infrequent watering and avoiding over-fertilizing.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 1 May 2026
  • This mat becomes hydrophobic (water-repelling)—when water can no longer penetrate the soil, the grass roots in that area become severely dehydrated and turn brown.
    — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
  • The Tea Party sprang out of the grass roots and roared at befuddled Congressional representatives in town halls across the country.
    — Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
  • All of this aside, lower levels of government—states and communities—can do much by way of experimentation, nurturing democratic practice at the grass roots.
    — Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
  • Ideally, the money goes to invest into grass roots development — but in many cases, there seems little to show for FIFA’s largesse.
    — Stefan Szymanski, The Conversation, 10 June 2026
  • Ideally, the money goes to invest into grass roots development — but in many cases, there seems little to show for FIFA’s largesse.
    — Stefan Szymanski, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • By acting as a thin, natural mulch, the clippings slow evaporation and help stabilize soil temperature, creating a more resilient growing environment for grass roots.
    — Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 7 June 2026
  • Their taproots can reach as deep as 15 feet, according to MOFGA, pulling up nutrients like calcium from soil layers that grass roots can’t reach.
    — Ryan Brennan may 1, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
  • Install Landscape Edging Plastic, steel, wood, brick, or stone garden edging creates a physical barrier that blocks underground grass roots and keeps them from spreading among your flower beds.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Install Landscape Edging Plastic, steel, wood, brick, or stone garden edging creates a physical barrier that blocks underground grass roots and keeps them from spreading among your flower beds.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 28 June 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grassroots.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: