Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lay the groundwork

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.18 in modern English

Syllables: lay the -ground-work
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

3

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

Example Sentences

"The introductory mathematics courses will lay the groundwork for all your subsequent engineering studies."
"Arrests and prosecutions intensified after Isis captured Mosul in June, but the groundwork had been laid by an earlier amendment to Jordan’s anti-terrorism law. It is estimated that 2,000 Jordanians have fought and 250 of them have died in Syria – making them the third largest Arab contingent in Isis after Saudi Arabians and Tunisians."
"The FBI launched a phony investigation under false pretenses to prevent one candidate from winning the 2016 election and to lay the groundwork for his removal if he did."

Inflected Forms

lays the groundwork (present, singular) laying the groundwork (participle, present) laid the groundwork (participle, past) laid the groundwork (past)

Questions

What does lay the groundwork mean?: To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

How to pronounce lay the groundwork

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lay the groundwork”.
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