bedrock

noun bed·rock \ -ˈräk , -ˌräk \

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

Ajayi figures as the bedrock, workhorse fulcrum of this offense while the passing game provides the surrounding fireworks.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Dolphins’ Double-J offense will be enough to overcome shortcomings on D," 25 Aug. 2017
The equal treatment of all people is one of our nation’s bedrock principles.

— david gelles, New York Times, "The Moral Voice of Corporate America," 19 Aug. 2017
But because heat from the bedrock below can melt the deepest, oldest ice, the approach has not yielded ice any older than 800,000 years, from a core drilled at Antarctica’s Dome C in 2004.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "Record-shattering 2.7-million-year-old ice core reveals start of the ice ages," 15 Aug. 2017
Amid an outpouring of condemnations, many made a point of emphasizing free speech as a bedrock American principle.

— isaac stanley-becker and james mcauley, Washington Post, "Charlottesville violence condemned in Europe, elsewhere around the world," 14 Aug. 2017
The bedrock principles of American democracy are often more revered than actually believed.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Do Republicans Actually Want to Postpone the 2020 Election?," 10 Aug. 2017
Sliders, curve and changeups are your secondary stuff … That kind of thinking has been the bedrock of pitching.

— tom verducci, SI.com, "Slow down: The Yankees are leading a change in baseball by abandoning a principle of pitching," 19 July 2017
The performance of crushing enemies, of stomping on the Others and Liberal Snowflakes and The Weak in general, is the bedrock of Trumpism.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Trump Laid a Despicable Attack on McCain 2 Years Ago. Not Much Has Changed.," 18 July 2017
BLOOMINGTON – Once again, Indiana’s wide receiver corps looks like the bedrock of its offense.

— zach osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Position primer: IU's wide receiver group once again in good hands," 12 July 2017

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

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

Meanwhile, the once-bedrock issue of Obamacare repeal has faded as a unifying plank among most of the GOP’s rank-and-file voters.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Obamacare and the Limits of Propaganda," 22 July 2017
Under long-serving CEO Jeff Immelt, GE continues its major transformation to refocus on its bedrock industrial businesses and distance itself from the legacy of Immelt’s legendary predecessor, Jack Welch.

— Fortune, "General Electric," 21 July 2017
But a self pardon would run afoul of a bedrock legal principle in the United States, according to a 1974 memo written by the Office of Legal Counsel under President Nixon.

— tessa berenson, Time, "Can President Trump Pardon Himself?," 21 July 2017
Bedrock office buildings switch between four scents, depending on season.

— georgea kovanis, Detroit Free Press, "Gee, your office smells terrific," 8 July 2017
Bedrock bourgeois values appeared to be under siege on every front—

— ian beacock, New Republic, "How the Nazis Made Art Fascist," 23 May 2017
But he was ordained as the spiritual leader of the sport when his father, then the bedrock spirit of NASCAR, died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

— brant james, USA TODAY, "Analysis: Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR legacy stretches beyond merely driver," 26 Apr. 2017
In action recalling Marbury v. Madison, the original and bedrock ruling of the Supreme Court waylaying executive power and proclaiming its own, courts overruled the new president and ordered its enforcement stopped.

— mario nicolais, The Denver Post, "Trump awakens checks and balances," 11 Feb. 2017
Before a single brick is laid, teams of scientists assemble on scene to investigate a litany of details, from bedrock depth to soil chemistry.

— maya wei-haas, Smithsonian, "What Geology Has to Say About Building a 1,000-Mile Border Wall," 7 Feb. 2017