groundwork

noun

ground·​work ˈgrau̇nd-ˌwərk 

: foundation, basis

laid the groundwork for a new program

also : preparation made beforehand

the groundwork was done before the winter tour

—Susan Reiter

Synonyms

• base
• basis
• bedrock
• bottom
• cornerstone
• footing
• foundation
• ground
• keystone
• root
• underpinning
• warp
• warp and woof

Examples of groundwork in a Sentence

they had collectively laid the groundwork for a new kind of art

Recent Examples on the Web

By investing in these areas now, businesses are laying the groundwork for long-term success in an increasingly volatile and complex global environment beyond today’s election. —Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

But even here, the groundwork was actually laid by Trump. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2024

Far-right agitators are laying the groundwork for violence and election denial. —Makena Kelly, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024

OpenAI has laid the groundwork for its search offering through a growing number of licensing deals with publishers, including News Corp., Axel Springer SE, Time magazine as well as European media companies such as Le Monde. —Shirin Ghaffary, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing groundwork

• lay the groundwork/foundation

Kids Definition

groundwork

noun

ground·​work ˈgrau̇n-ˌdwərk 

: foundation sense 2, basis