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.
"It certainly helps lay the groundwork for nuclear weapons in the future," said Imran Bayoumi, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and former policy adviser at the US Defence Department.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He rises and falls at the same pace as his companion in this nightmare, laying the groundwork on which Adjani can create something so enormous.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
A year after the 1849 constitution, the state legislature created the groundwork of today’s “community property” law by defining anything acquired during marriage as “common property.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Oklo aims to use its Groves facility to lay the groundwork for a steady supply of high-value radioisotopes, which can be used in medicine and manufacturing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
“What Resilience discovered on his mission has laid the groundwork for us to continue imagining what it might look like for a human to land on Mars.”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
