groundwork

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈgraʊndwɜːrk/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈgraʊndˌwɝk/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(ground′wûrk′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ground•work /ˈgraʊndˌwɜrk/USA pronunciation   n. [uncountable]
  1. foundation or basis:to lay the groundwork for an alliance.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ground•work  (ground′wûrk′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. foundation or basis:He laid the groundwork for an international conference.
  • ground1 + work 1540–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
groundwork / ˈɡraʊndˌwɜːk/
  1. preliminary work as a foundation or basis
  2. the ground or background of a painting, etc
'groundwork' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
base - basis - bottom - donkey-work - fond - footwork - foundation - fundamental - plan - substratum

Forum discussions with the word(s) "groundwork" in the title:


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