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

Then, Swift retraced her trajectory during her speech, thanking her family for making sacrifices to lay the groundwork for her career. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 June 2026

Part of the reason is that the two companies have already started laying the groundwork for a potential tie-up. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Those activities helped prepare the groundwork for future construction and deployment efforts. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 June 2026

Tesla appears to be laying that groundwork now. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 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