Standard Lemma guide

groundwork

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G R AW1 N D W ER2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The foundation; the basic or fundamental parts that support or allow for the rest.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The discovery of the laws of electricity laid the groundwork for a century of innovation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

preliminary preparation as a basis or foundation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we are prepared today because of groundwork that was done ten years ago

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: preparation, readying

3

noun

Meaning 3

lowest support of a structure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it was built on a base of solid rock
  • he stood at the foot of the tower

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: foundation, base, fundament, foot, substructure, understructure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: support

Narrower terms: bed, raft foundation

4

noun

Meaning 4

the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the whole argument rested on a basis of conjecture

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: basis, base, foundation, fundament, cornerstone

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: assumption, supposition, supposal

Narrower terms: meat and potatoes

History

Etymology

From ground + work.

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: нигеҙ (nigeź) — foundation
  • Bulgarian: основа (osnova) — foundation
  • Bulgarian: база (baza) — foundation
  • Bulgarian: основен принцип (osnoven princip) — foundation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 基礎 /基础 (jīchǔ) — foundation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 基礎性工作 /基础性工作 (jīchǔxìng gōngzuò) — foundation
  • Dutch: grondslag — foundation
  • Finnish: perustus — foundation
  • Finnish: perusta — foundation
  • French: fondation — foundation
  • French: fondement — foundation
  • Galician: fundamento — foundation
  • Galician: cimento — foundation
  • Galician: alicerce — foundation
  • Georgian: საძირკველი (saʒirḳveli) — foundation
  • Georgian: ფუნდამენტი (pundamenṭi) — foundation
  • German: Grundlage — foundation
  • Hindi: नींव (nī̃v) — foundation
  • Hindi: आधार (ādhār) — foundation
  • Indonesian: dasar — foundation
  • Indonesian: fondasi — foundation
  • Italian: fondamenti — foundation
  • Japanese: 基礎 (kiso) — foundation
  • Korean: 터 (teo) — foundation
  • Latin: principium — foundation
  • Manx: obbyr undinagh — foundation
  • Māori: kaupapa — foundation
  • Māori: mahinga tumu — foundation
  • Norwegian Bokmål: grunnarbeid — foundation
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: grunnarbeid — foundation
  • Polish: osnowa — foundation
  • Polish: kanwa — foundation
  • Polish: podwalina — foundation
  • Portuguese: fundamento — foundation
  • Russian: осно́ва (osnóva) — foundation
  • Russian: фунда́мент (fundáment) — foundation
  • Spanish: cimiento — foundation
  • Spanish: fundamento — foundation
  • Spanish: anteproyecto — foundation
  • Swedish: grundstomme — foundation
Real reading context

groundwork in complete knowledge articles

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