bedrock

noun

bed·rock | \ ˈbed-ˈräk

How to pronounce bedrock (audio)

, -ˌräk \

Definition of bedrock

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the solid rock underlying unconsolidated surface materials (such as soil)

2a : lowest point

b : basis

bedrock

adjective

bed·rock | \ ˈbed-ˌräk

How to pronounce bedrock (audio)

\

Definition of bedrock (Entry 2 of 2)

: solidly fundamental, basic, or reliable traditional bedrock values a bedrock constituency

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Examples of bedrock in a Sentence

Noun They dug down for 10 feet before they hit bedrock. His religious beliefs are the bedrock on which his life is based.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Eliminating single-family zoning has become a bedrock goal for many housing advocates. — Michael Smolens Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Legislature tries to eliminate single-family-home zoning, again," 24 Mar. 2021 Subglacial material, collected from where the drill hit sediment and bedrock below the ice sheet, contains information the ice does not. — Gemma Tarlach, Wired, "Fossils in a Forgotten Ice Core Rewrite Greenland’s Icy Past," 20 Mar. 2021 As the administration pursues an agenda hostile to conscience rights, many religious Americans may wonder what’s become of our bedrock commitment to religious freedom. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "Religious Persecution Abroad Reminds Us Why Religious Liberty Matters," 20 Mar. 2021 The conundrum over the last year, as theaters shut down and streaming platforms launched, is the extent to which theatrical movies past and future form a bedrock for streaming services. — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, "Streaming Subscriptions Top One Billion: A New Normal, Or A Temporary Disruption?," 18 Mar. 2021 Last week’s startling gyrations in U.S. Treasury yields may offer fresh backing for that mantra, and prompt another bout of soul-searching in a $21 trillion market that forms the bedrock of global finance. — Fortune, "Wall Street still puzzling over why the $21 trillion Treasuries market went haywire last week," 3 Mar. 2021 While mainline Protestant denominations have declined in both influence and numbers, and Catholics have split their vote between the two parties, white evangelicals have become the bedrock of the Republican Party. — The Economist, "The Economist explains What is an evangelical Christian?," 1 Mar. 2021 Its bedrock remains its menu of seasonal produce, much of it from farmers who supply the Cortelyou Greenmarket a few blocks away. — New York Times, "How Covid Helped a Neighborhood Rediscover Its Restaurants," 16 Mar. 2021 Defining the purpose of such weapons automatically demanded fresh thinking about the bedrock values of a democracy, the nature of multilateral alliances, the morality of warfare, and the scope of U.S. ambitions in the world. — Mark Bowden, The Atlantic, "How Special Ops Became the Solution to Everything," 12 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Now, even the bedrock idea of self-determination is endangered in Libya, with foreign powers — not just Libyans — seeking to control the country’s fate. — Washington Post, "At the mercy of foreign powers," 25 Feb. 2021 People with disabilities know bedrock truths most of us ignore. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: This is a time for extraordinary gratitude," 19 May 2020 The American Prairie Reserve’s partial retreat from conservation’s traditional separation of humans and nature—a bedrock principle of conservation for most of the past century—is not just an accommodation. — Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, "Conservationists No Longer Agree on What ‘Wild’ Means," 9 Apr. 2020 One of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws, NEPA mandates inclusion of the public’s voice and environmental reviews in government decision making. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "DOI Is Using Coronavirus as a Smokescreen," 26 Mar. 2020 Objective news reporting is built on two bedrock principles: report the truth, and don’t pick sides. — Gilad Edelman, Wired, "Should Political Reporters Be Quarantined From Covering Covid-19?," 10 Mar. 2020 Few leagues are rushing to copy those bedrock elements of M.L.S., and that raises the question of whether such an unusually structured league can really hope to join the best in the world, particularly financially. — New York Times, "M.L.S. Hits Two Milestones: 25 Years and 26 Teams," 28 Feb. 2020 But the use of religious freedom as a tool to enable discrimination has become a bedrock principle of the modern conservative movement—and of the Trump Administration. — Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, "The Right Wing’s War on the L.G.B.T.Q. Community," 19 Sep. 2019 In fact, Profs. Fama and French found that the same goes for an even more bedrock belief of stock-market investors: the notion that equities will outperform riskless T-bills for those who hold them long enough. — Mark Hulbert, WSJ, "Your Fund Performance Is Even More About Luck Than You Thought," 4 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bedrock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

1 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Bedrock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedrock. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for bedrock

bedrock

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bedrock

: the solid rock that lies under the surface of the ground

: a strong idea, principle, or fact that supports something

See the full definition for bedrock in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bedrock

noun

bed·rock | \ ˈbed-ˌräk

\

Kids Definition of bedrock

: the solid rock found under surface materials (as soil)

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