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.
Instead, it has laid the groundwork for an even more insidious form of control.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
Even if English Protestants were late compared to the Spanish and Portuguese Catholic missionaries, Mr. Ryrie shows that John Calvin, John Knox and other reformers were laying the groundwork for the birth of global Christianity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
The have been questions about how the agreement - which lays the groundwork for talks on Iran's nuclear weapons programme - will also affect economic sanctions and access to the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
That kind of understanding often lays the groundwork for future discoveries.
From Science Daily • Jun. 16, 2026
The FBI had begun laying the groundwork for the case in the late 1940s, interrogating Langley employees about their knowledge of Perl and his possible conspirators.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
