bedrock

noun bed·rock \ -ˈräk , -ˌräk \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Examples: bedrock in a Sentence

Definition of bedrock

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

2 a : lowest point

b : basis

See bedrock defined for English-language learners

See bedrock defined for kids

Examples of bedrock in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of bedrock from the Web

But the prosperity of a nation is the bedrock of any plan for justice and equality.

— stacy meichtry, WSJ, "Macron Tries to Shore Up Support for French Economic Overhaul," 9 July 2018
But Republicans may also pay a price at the hands of fiscal conservatives who believe that party leaders have fallen back into bad habits and betrayed bedrock beliefs by joining with Democrats in a spending spree.

— carl hulse, New York Times, "For Republicans, the Tea Party Is Over," 9 Feb. 2018
Attorney-client privilege is a bedrock principle of U.S. legal practice that says a lawyer must keep confidential what they are told by their clients.

— spencer s. hsu, Washington Post, "Paul Manafort asks U.S. judge to bar evidence at trial from his former lobbying disclosure attorney," 10 July 2018
Under the experienced eye of a Kentuckian with a soft drawl and 37 years of big-demo under his belt, the former General Motors auto plant, once the economic bedrock of this community, is being ripped, grappled, twisted and crushed to bits.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Demolition of former GM plant has begun, with the state giving Janesville $500,000 to help," 20 June 2018
Chemerinsky, arguably the foremost First Amendment scholar in the country, believes, in the Voltairean tradition, that free speech is the bedrock of a free society.

— andrew marantz, The New Yorker, "How Social-Media Trolls Turned U.C. Berkeley Into a Free-Speech Circus," 23 May 2016
The bedrock of your business and personal life is honesty.

— steve jagler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Jagler: Former MGIC CEO Curt Culver shares secrets to career happiness," 29 June 2018
The bedrock below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is rising more rapidly than expected, according to an international team of researchers.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Bedrock Below West Antarctica Is Rising Shockingly Fast," 25 June 2018
Such a practice was common in this part of San Francisco, where the bedrock is quite deep underneath thick layers of soft soil, sand and clay — but that was for buildings that were much shorter and lighter than Millennium, Klemencic said.

— rong-gong lin ii, latimes.com, "From earthquake's destruction, a new San Francisco rises three decades later," 13 June 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.

First Known Use of bedrock

1839

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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bedrock Synonyms

bedrock

adjective bed·rock

Definition of bedrock

: solidly fundamental, basic, or reliable

traditional bedrock values

a bedrock constituency

Recent Examples of bedrock from the Web

The President has broad pardon power in the Constitution, but the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel determined in 1974 that a self-pardon would run afoul of bedrock legal principle.

— tessa berenson, Time, "Donald Trump’s Campaign to Discredit the Russia Investigation May Be Working. It’s Also Damaging American Democracy," 7 June 2018
The Beneficial renovation is both a shrine to one of democracy’s bedrock values, trial by jury — and to Kline’s career.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "How a Philadelphia lawyer turned a historic bank into a shrine to democracy (and his legal career)," 3 June 2018
One of President Trump’s most bedrock character traits is his refusal to truly reckon with any piece of information that reflects poorly on him.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Reality Distortion Field Could be a Huge Asset for Democrats This Fall," 28 Apr. 2018
Ryan is willfully enabling Devin Nunes' and President Trump's blatant attempts to obstruct justice and undermine two bedrock foundations of American democracy -the FBI and Department of Justice.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Nunes Memo is a not-so-super bowl of partisan botulism: Darcy cartoon," 4 Feb. 2018
On the most bedrock level, Ammons was a nature poet.

— dwight garner, New York Times, "Adding Up a Prolific Poet’s Charming Weather Reports," 11 Dec. 2017
The case sparked ferocious debate over his actions and the controversial prisoner exchange that led to his release in 2014, challenging the military's bedrock principle of never leaving a soldier behind.

— alex horton, Alaska Dispatch News, "Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl avoids prison time for desertion during deployment in Afghanistan," 3 Nov. 2017
Bergdahl's case sparked ferocious debate over his actions and the controversial prisoner exchange that led to his release in 2014, challenging the military's bedrock principle of never leaving a soldier behind.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "Bowe Bergdahl, former hostage who pleaded guilty to desertion, avoids prison," 3 Nov. 2017
The case sparked ferocious debate over his actions and the controversial prisoner exchange that led to his release in 2014, challenging the military’s bedrock principle of never leaving a soldier behind.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Bowe Bergdahl, the former hostage who pleaded guilty to desertion, avoids prison," 3 Nov. 2017

First Known Use of bedrock

1873

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BEDROCK Defined for English Language Learners

bedrock

noun

Definition of bedrock for English Language Learners

: the solid rock that lies under the surface of the ground
: a strong idea, principle, or fact that supports something

BEDROCK Defined for Kids

bedrock

noun bed·rock \ ˈbed-ˌräk \

Definition of bedrock for Students

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

Learn More about bedrock

See words that rhyme with bedrock Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bedrock Spanish Central: Translation of bedrock Nglish: Translation of bedrock for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bedrock for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bedrock

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bedrock

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