as in foundation
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
they had collectively laid the groundwork for a new kind of art
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Recent Examples of groundwork
Over the past decade, the company has laid the groundwork by developing an ecosystem of AI software, hardware, and simulation systems for robots and autonomous vehicles.
—
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
High-profile Democrats visited battleground states throughout 2025, potentially to lay the groundwork for runs; many are set to continue traveling throughout 2026.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2026
Cartagena, Colombia, extending into the Caribbean Sea, is a wholly Latin American, wholly Caribbean, and even wholly African destination all at once—and its rich history lays the groundwork for one of the most enchanting cities in the region.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026
Rufo helped lay the groundwork for a conservative takeover during a 2022 speech at Hillsdale College, the Tampa Bay Times previously reported.
—Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groundwork
Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 6 Jan. 2026
High-profile Democrats visited battleground states throughout 2025, potentially to lay the groundwork for runs; many are set to continue traveling throughout 2026.
—Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2026
Cartagena, Colombia, extending into the Caribbean Sea, is a wholly Latin American, wholly Caribbean, and even wholly African destination all at once—and its rich history lays the groundwork for one of the most enchanting cities in the region.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 2 Jan. 2026
Rufo helped lay the groundwork for a conservative takeover during a 2022 speech at Hillsdale College, the Tampa Bay Times previously reported.
—Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for groundwork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groundwork
Noun
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The discovery revealed how genetic information is stored and replicated and created the foundation for modern genetic engineering, disease treatment with genes and DNA identification techniques, according to The Associated Press.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Items like mascara and eyeliner have shorter lifespans due to their potential for bacteria, while blush, foundation, and concealer might be okay for more prolonged use.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Throughout the spring and deep into training camp, Williams felt the flames of Johnson’s intensity almost on an hourly basis.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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But the department has argued the sheer volume of documents that need to be found, uploaded, reviewed, redacted and published has forced it to instead release the files online on a rolling basis, with a series of enormous document dumps over the course of several days in mid-December.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Together, these trends have turned industrial space into a cornerstone of national logistics and digital capacity.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The following spring, the Bills moved up in the draft to select a quarterback who became a cornerstone, and optimism ran high going into 2018.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The mikveh, hewn into the bedrock, measures approximately 10 feet long, 4 feet, 5 inches wide and 6 feet, 1 inch high, with four steps leading into the bath.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
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Local government as a bedrock for getting results.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Groundwork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groundwork. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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