foundation stone

noun

1
: a stone in the foundation of a building
especially : such a stone laid with public ceremony compare cornerstone
2
: basis, groundwork

Examples of foundation stone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a symbolic step for the project, community members gathered on May 31 under a tent on the land for a foundation stone laying ceremony. — Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026 Developers laid the first foundation stone for the museum in 2002 but construction did not begin until 2005. — Ayat Al-Tawy, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025 British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands is the veritable foundation stone necessary to effectively achieve its defense purposes. — Sandeep Gopalan, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2026 There, beside the shiplike hulk of the Basilica of San Petronio—which is a work in progress, the foundation stone having been laid in 1390, and which somebody really should get around to finishing one of these days—was a vast white screen. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foundation stone

Word History

First Known Use

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of foundation stone was in 1628

Rhymes for foundation stone

See All Rhymes for foundation stone

Browse Nearby Words

foundation stock
foundation stone
foundation stop
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foundation stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foundation%20stone. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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