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 of groundwork

• foundation
• basis
• cornerstone
• bedrock

Examples of groundwork in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

June 27, 1776, was a momentous day for the Bay Area, California, and the world as 240 men, women, and children arrived mostly by foot from Mexico to what is now called San Francisco to set up camp and lay the groundwork for the future. — Brian Hackney, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Laying the groundwork for a free trade agreement that would remake his nation’s economy, Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari loaned crates of art to the United States in the autumn of 1990. — Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

After realizing the market didn’t offer anything that met the demand for even basic machine learning workloads to operate their products, the team began laying the groundwork for its first TPU. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 June 2026

Representatives from the United States, Israel, and Lebanon signed a trilateral framework following lengthy negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and laying out the groundwork for a future peace agreement. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing groundwork

• lay the groundwork/foundation

Rhymes for groundwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork

Kids Definition

groundwork

noun

ground·​work ˈgrau̇n-ˌdwərk 

: foundation sense 2, basis