From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfoundationfoun‧da‧tion /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/ ●●○ AWL noun 1 building [countable]TBC the solid layer of cement, bricks, stones etc that is put under a building to support it It took the builders three weeks to lay the foundations. The earthquake shook the foundations of the house.2 basic idea [countable]BASIC a basic idea, principle, situation etc that something develops fromfoundation of All theories should be built on a foundation of factual knowledge.solid/firm foundation The course gives students a solid foundation in the basics of computing.► see thesaurus at basis3 organization [countable]SSO an organization that gives or collects money to be used for special purposes, especially for charity or for medical research the British Heart Foundation4 establishment [uncountable]START something/MAKE something START the establishment of an organization, business, school etc SYN founding The school has served the community since its foundation in 1835.5 → be without foundation6 → lay/provide the foundation(s) for something7 skin [uncountable]DCB a cream in the same colour as your skin that you put on before the rest of your make-up8 → shake/rock the foundations of something
Examples from the Corpus
foundation• Teaching experience is a good foundation for a career in just about anything.• The Heritage Foundation is a conservative political research organization.• They clearly adore the multi-layered foundations of instrumental funk, and profoundly project this soulful hipster-cool attitude on All Night Burner.• the National Foundation for the Arts• According to Wegener, the sial masses of the continents shifted on the earth's actual mantle, the sima foundation.• Usually two main types are used - strip foundations and raft foundations.• We cut it to four and those four are still our major selling products and the foundation of our business.• Good eating habits and regular exercise are the foundation for a healthy life.• After the earthquake, I noticed several cracks in the foundation of the house.• Copernicus's findings laid the foundations for the later work of Galileo.• The foundation in Madrid is going to manage that one too.• The foundation funded a dozen new career centers in high schools, where students could come for career guidance and counseling.• More than 600 people were evacuated from their homes in Norfolk and eight bungalows collapsed after the sea washed away their foundations.• The fears of earlier critics were not without foundation.lay ... foundations• He said he hoped they had laid the foundations for peace - but admitted obstacles could lie ahead.• But in Britain we have laid the foundations for recovery.• We could say that she is laying the foundations for dressing herself later on.• John Evans, and Oscar Montelius, laying the foundations for the study of the typology of artifacts.• The drama school training will only lay the foundations and prepare you for the profession you are joining.• For Buckle, this laid the foundations for a thoroughgoing science of history, and others shared his belief.• The two sides met in an attempt to lay the foundations of a future peace settlement.• Because Save the Children want to lay the foundations for a better future.• Long-term planning after the war laid the foundations for the nation's steady economic growth.• If human beings took up the challenge, their response would lay the foundations of civilization.solid/firm foundation• There is still a creative role in developing campaigns but it comes after a firm foundation of fact has been established.• Instead of building bridges to nowhere, we will build a solid foundation for our nation and its future generations.• They had a solid foundation in reading, writing, math, and other core skills.• At the end of the first week you will have a solid foundation on which to build in future weeks.• Particularist feeling in the duchy of Aosta was hallowed by centuries of tradition and grounded in a firm foundation of local institutions.• Much like any brick or block wall, an interlocking block wall needs a solid foundation.• They dug solid foundations, spending a lot of time pouring concrete into four pits.• No building can stand without firm foundations, and neither can a marriage. 