1
: the solid rock underlying unconsolidated surface materials (such as soil)
2
a
: lowest point
b
: basis
: solidly fundamental, basic, or reliable
traditional bedrock values
a bedrock constituency
Synonyms
Examples of bedrock in a Sentence
Noun
They dug down for 10 feet before they hit bedrock.
His religious beliefs are the bedrock on which his life is based.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024
The Gediz Vallis channel is carved into the underlying bedrock, and is filled with boulders and other debris.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
The larger aim is to challenge the bedrock constitutional principle that the federal government, not the states, has the sole authority to enforce national immigration laws.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2024
Open science is the bedrock of technological advancement.
—Rebecca Finlay, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Strong Governance of the Judicial processes is essential in Texas since the Judicial system is the bedrock of a democracy.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024
Today spectroscopy is the bedrock of modern astronomy.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2024
American homeowners could see a significant drop in the cost of selling their homes after a real estate trade group agreed to a landmark deal that will eliminate a bedrock of the industry, the standard 6 percent sales commission.
—Debra Kamin, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
The biggest part of that work was the installation of tie-back anchors into the bedrock.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
Zachary M. Seward, Quartz, 1 Nov. 2022
The violence suffered by Floyd and so many thousands of other people is horrifying to anyone with a conscience, and arguments for ending this injustice hook directly into bedrock American ideas about liberty and equality.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 24 June 2021
Now, even the bedrock idea of self-determination is endangered in Libya, with foreign powers — not just Libyans — seeking to control the country’s fate.
—Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2021
People with disabilities know bedrock truths most of us ignore.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 19 May 2020
The American Prairie Reserve’s partial retreat from conservation’s traditional separation of humans and nature—a bedrock principle of conservation for most of the past century—is not just an accommodation.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
One of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws, NEPA mandates inclusion of the public’s voice and environmental reviews in government decision making.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 26 Mar. 2020
Objective news reporting is built on two bedrock principles: report the truth, and don’t pick sides.
—Gilad Edelman, Wired, 10 Mar. 2020
Few leagues are rushing to copy those bedrock elements of M.L.S., and that raises the question of whether such an unusually structured league can really hope to join the best in the world, particularly financially.
—New York Times, 28 Feb. 2020
Noun
Superpower America’s promise of defense provided the bedrock for that trust to flourish.
—Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024
The Gediz Vallis channel is carved into the underlying bedrock, and is filled with boulders and other debris.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024
The larger aim is to challenge the bedrock constitutional principle that the federal government, not the states, has the sole authority to enforce national immigration laws.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2024
Open science is the bedrock of technological advancement.
—Rebecca Finlay, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Strong Governance of the Judicial processes is essential in Texas since the Judicial system is the bedrock of a democracy.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024
Today spectroscopy is the bedrock of modern astronomy.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 15 Feb. 2024
American homeowners could see a significant drop in the cost of selling their homes after a real estate trade group agreed to a landmark deal that will eliminate a bedrock of the industry, the standard 6 percent sales commission.
—Debra Kamin, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
The biggest part of that work was the installation of tie-back anchors into the bedrock.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024
Adjective
It’s this bedrock principle of modern American life that the court treats with great skepticism.
—Zachary M. Seward, Quartz, 1 Nov. 2022
The violence suffered by Floyd and so many thousands of other people is horrifying to anyone with a conscience, and arguments for ending this injustice hook directly into bedrock American ideas about liberty and equality.
—Ryan Cooper, The Week, 24 June 2021
Now, even the bedrock idea of self-determination is endangered in Libya, with foreign powers — not just Libyans — seeking to control the country’s fate.
—Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2021
People with disabilities know bedrock truths most of us ignore.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 19 May 2020
The American Prairie Reserve’s partial retreat from conservation’s traditional separation of humans and nature—a bedrock principle of conservation for most of the past century—is not just an accommodation.
—Christopher Preston, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2020
One of our nation’s bedrock environmental laws, NEPA mandates inclusion of the public’s voice and environmental reviews in government decision making.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 26 Mar. 2020
Objective news reporting is built on two bedrock principles: report the truth, and don’t pick sides.
—Gilad Edelman, Wired, 10 Mar. 2020
Few leagues are rushing to copy those bedrock elements of M.L.S., and that raises the question of whether such an unusually structured league can really hope to join the best in the world, particularly financially.
—New York Times, 28 Feb. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bedrock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bedrock
Cite this Entry
“Bedrock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedrock. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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