1

bedrock

noun bed·rock \ -ˈräk , -ˌräk \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 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

From the stubby round grains of Japonica to the long fluffy grains of Indica, rice is the culinary bedrock for much of the world, providing 25 percent of the total calories consumed globally.

— umair irfan, Vox, "The weird power of rising carbon dioxide to make rice less nutritious," 24 May 2018
Evan Rachel Wood is top-billed among the cast, each season opened with a scene involving her, and the general progression of her consciousness has been one of the bedrock storytelling arcs of the show.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Westworld: A Cut Above," 20 May 2018
While Islamist turnout did not drop far from past levels, victory came from younger first-time voters that mobilized even in Islamist bedrocks like Irbid.

— sean yom, Washington Post, "Islamists are losing support in Jordan," 17 May 2018
The site is believed to house three tunnel complexes surrounded by granite bedrock ideal for containing large explosions.

— Fortune, "Why Closing North Korea's Test Site Won't Hinder Kim Jong Un's Nuke Plans," 15 May 2018
Florida’s bedrock is made up of a porous layer on limestone, which Randazzo compares to a block of swiss cheese.

— allie raffa, Fox News, "Sinkholes leave Florida neighborhood looking like cratered wasteland," 10 May 2018
Executives cited declining fertility rates in the United States and South Korea as factors that have contributed to a decline in diaper sales, long considered one of Kimberly-Clark's bedrock lines of business.

— aaron gregg, Houston Chronicle, "Tax bill helps Kimberly-Clark plan for thousands of layoffs," 23 Jan. 2018
The bedrock tenets of what the Corps calls expeditionary maneuver warfare are rapid mobility, attacks from unexpected locations, and flexible battle planning.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "3 Things You Need to Know About Trump's New National Defense Strategy," 19 Jan. 2018
Medicaid work requirements build on this bedrock of racial inequality.

— jamila michener, Vox, "The politics and policy of racism in American health care," 24 May 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

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

bedrock Synonyms

Synonyms

bottom, depth, nadir, rock bottom, zero;

Antonyms

acme, apex, climax, crown, culmination, head, height, high-water mark, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, tip-top, top, zenith;

Near Antonyms

bloom, flood tide, flower, glory, heyday;

crescendo, high;

cap, ceiling, crest, roof;

Related Words

abyss, armpit, pit;

2

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

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

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

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bedrock? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

quail

play

to recoil in dread or terror

BROWSE DICTIONARY

bed rest

bedridden

bedrock

bedrock valley

bedroll

Test Your Vocabulary

Name More Food!

Name that Fruit!

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games