as in foundation
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
they had collectively laid the groundwork for a new kind of art
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of groundwork
Pitt, who laid the groundwork for the modern Tory Party, introduced suffrage bills several years in a row.
—
Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
By the time legal exposure becomes visible, the groundwork has often already been laid.
—William Phillips, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
But the simplest path to Universal Basic Vitality is an oligarch tax on individuals like Musk and companies like Meta to lay the groundwork for economic livelihood in the AI age.
—Alexander Heffner, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
And the charges lay the groundwork for a possible military operation by the US to extradite him – as took place with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a close ally to Cuba.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for groundwork
Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
By the time legal exposure becomes visible, the groundwork has often already been laid.
—William Phillips, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
But the simplest path to Universal Basic Vitality is an oligarch tax on individuals like Musk and companies like Meta to lay the groundwork for economic livelihood in the AI age.
—Alexander Heffner, Mercury News, 20 May 2026
And the charges lay the groundwork for a possible military operation by the US to extradite him – as took place with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a close ally to Cuba.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for groundwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groundwork
Noun
-
Domestic capabilities are the foundation American ingenuity was a genesis for AI, from the invention of the transistor to the development of the transformer, which enables large language models.—
Olivia White,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
Freedom 250 has its own employees, but the foundation provides federal funds and the park service approves the events and reviews their budgets, according to the website.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The Twins then broke the stalemate in the 11th inning when Brooks Lee sent a bases-clearing double deep to right field, bringing home Ryan Kreidler, the automatic runner, as well as Luke Keaschall and Byron Buxton, who had singled and walked respectively, before Lee stepped to the plate.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
-
Mike Trout was walked, loading the bases for Grissom.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Founded by Jack Ma in 1999, the ecommerce giant became a cornerstone of China’s internet economy while introducing global investors to the scale of Chinese technology markets.—
TrueBridge Capital,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
The same demand was a cornerstone of Paxton’s victory speech.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
At Brentford, quick transitions were the bedrock of his success, encouraging his goalkeeper and defenders to hit the forward players early to maximise their pace on the break.—
Elias Burke,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
Stories in newspapers drive conversations and form the bedrock of future investigations.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groundwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groundwork. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
