rooted to the spot

rooted to the spot — idiom

1. to be unable to walk away from where you are standing because a sudden strong fe

1.慣用語B2
釋義

to be unable to walk away from where you are standing because a sudden strong feeling — especially fear, shock, or surprise — has made you freeze completely

例句

Adina stood rooted to the spot when she saw a snake on the path.

stand + rooted to the spot (collocation)

Jude was rooted to the spot as a police car stopped at his gate.

be + rooted to the spot (passive-like pattern)

同義詞
  • frozen

    more general; can describe a person, machine, or computer system that stops working

  • transfixed

    more literary; suggests fascination or wonder rather than fear

  • petrified

    emphasises the fear element; can also mean 'extremely frightened' without the physical stillness

文法句型

stand / remain / stay + rooted to the spot

用法筆記

Always uses the fixed form 'rooted to the spot' — the preposition must be 'to', never 'on' or 'at'. Commonly follows verbs of stillness such as 'stand', 'remain', 'stay', or simply 'be'.

常見錯誤

❌I was rooted on the spot when I saw the accident.
✅I was rooted to the spot when I saw the accident.
💡The fixed expression uses 'to', not 'on' or 'at'.