groundwork
Americannoun
noun
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preliminary work as a foundation or basis
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the ground or background of a painting, etc
Usage
What is groundwork? Groundwork is a foundation or basis. Groundwork can describe an actual plot of land for a building or construct, but it can also be used figuratively to describe the beginnings of a negotiation or agreement. Example: I’m laying the groundwork for a new partnership right now.
Etymology
Origin of groundwork
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Several ECB officials have been laying the groundwork for an increase in borrowing costs in their public remarks.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Yale economist Robert Shiller has been widely credited with laying much of the theoretical groundwork for perpetual futures.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
Central Command denied this meant its Project Freedom had resumed, but perhaps the groundwork is being laid.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
But Chinese officials expected no less after warning Trump’s team before the summit that its minimal preparation had failed to lay the groundwork for diplomatic agreements.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
These three, it’s said, laid the groundwork on which the Fascist and Nazi philosophy was built.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
