How to Use lay a/the foundation in a Sentence

lay a/the foundation

idiom
  • This was a year to take small ones forward and lay a foundation.
    Chris Fedor, cleveland, 17 May 2021
  • One of the best ways to lay the foundation for good health is through plenty of quality z’s.
    Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Bedding and Sleep Deals One of the best ways to lay the foundation for good health is through plenty of quality z’s.
    Sarah Madaus, SELF, 11 July 2023
  • His death grabbed the attention of the FBI and helped lay the foundation for Indiana to pass its version of a bias crimes law.
    The Indianapolis Star, 21 June 2023
  • Keogh said the soil work at the site has been completed, and now the company will begin to lay the foundation this summer.
    Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Read more: Best Air Purifiers One of the best ways to lay the foundation for good health is through plenty of quality z’s.
    Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 11 Oct. 2023
  • Those are all key pieces to have as general manager Mike Grier and the Sharks try to lay the foundation for the team’s future.
    Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
  • The Orioles picked in the top five for four consecutive years, the first four of the Mike Elias era, and used those selections to lay the foundation for the current roster.
    Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 15 July 2024
  • Doing so will lay a foundation for a safer, stronger and more equitable future for all.
    Douglas M. Baker Jr., Star Tribune, 12 Aug. 2020
  • The treaties that govern Antarctica helped lay the foundation for space agreements.
    Sara Clemence, The Atlantic, 3 July 2023
  • Smith and Boston could begin to lay a foundation for an outstanding high-low duo.
    Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 2023
  • Trump's design at times required blowing up land to lay the foundation for his wall, as ABC News reported in 2020.
    Quinn Owen, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The ability to be the first and to start something from the ground up and to really lay the foundation, that's a once-in-a-career opportunity.
    Al Gaspeny, Arkansas Online, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Both said their work during the pandemic helped lay a foundation to weather this slowdown.
    Davis Giangiulio, NBC News, 4 July 2024
  • When in reality, those moments are what lay the foundation for deeper friendships down the line.
    Brittany Vickers, Essence, 26 July 2024
  • That likely isn’t enough by itself to lay the foundation for another change of leadership at PRO.
    Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
  • This maternal line has helped lay the foundation for Kaifer’s culinary success.
    Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024
  • For first-year head coaches starting a rebuild, 2020 seemed like a lousy environment to lay a foundation.
    Nathan Baird, cleveland, 30 Nov. 2020
  • Police searched for him there in 1999 and gathered evidence as to his possible whereabouts that helped lay the foundation for an arrest.
    Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2024
  • It’s set up to be a much better opportunity for Billups to showcase his coaching chops and lay a foundation for the Blazers’ next chapter.
    Bill Oram, oregonlive, 19 Oct. 2022
  • More important, such a speech would lay a foundation for Americans to understand Biden’s next moves.
    Jonah Blank, Foreign Affairs, 14 Mar. 2024
  • That can lay the foundation to legally force land managers to make accommodations for threatened species.
    Jill Cowan Daniel Dorsa, New York Times, 22 May 2023
  • That work helped lay the foundation for a new way of looking at antitrust law beyond the impact of big-company market dominance on consumer prices.
    Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt O'Brien, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023
  • But here’s where things get ironic: whatever Celina needs to do, or has needed to do, to return to the state tournament this year, its loss to Sinton last season may have helped lay the foundation.
    Shawn McFarland, Dallas News, 30 May 2023
  • The idea is to curate a collection of staple items that can be mixed and matched into numerous combinations, or lay the foundation for any outfit.
    Kristine Thomason, Travel + Leisure, 23 Jan. 2023
  • The sergeant's testimony helped lay a foundation for the testimony of Zimmerman, who worked in the homicide unit at that time and joined Edwards and the other officers the scene of Floyd's arrest.
    Paul Walsh, Star Tribune, 2 Apr. 2021
  • The Mayflower Compact, signed 400 years ago this week, helped lay a foundation for America’s commitment to government by consent of the governed.
    Joseph Loconte, National Review, 11 Nov. 2020
  • Accelerate growth and lay a foundation for future growth.
    Joe Mozden, Forbes, 2 June 2022
  • That serendipitous pitch would lay the foundation for the show, allowing the characters to casually drop in and out of one another’s apartments.
    Thea Glassman, Architectural Digest, 18 Sep. 2024
  • One recent study suggests that some PWIs can be considered just as viable as a choice for Black students to lay the foundation for a successful future and overall, a social safe haven.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 15 May 2024

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

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