foundation.

The part of a building below or near ground level that transfers its weight to the ground.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• lay the foundations
• cracked foundations
• deep foundations

On the page

Workers poured the foundations before the monsoon arrived.

A crack in the foundations had tilted the kitchen floor.

After the house was demolished, weeds traced the rectangle of its foundations.

Usage notes

Primary category: architecture. Often plural when referring to a building's supporting base; not merely the basement floor. Count noun: foundations.