lay the groundwork

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lay the groundwork (third-person singular simple present lays the groundwork, present participle laying the groundwork, simple past and past participle laid the groundwork)

1. (idiomatic, figurative) To create a foundation; to provide the basics or fundamentals.

   The introductory mathematics courses will lay the groundwork for all your subsequent engineering studies.

   • 2014 November 27, Ian Black, “Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 April 2023:

     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.

   • 2023 July 21, Michael Anton, “The Pessimistic Case for the Future”, in Compact‎^[2], archived from the original on 26 March 2024:

     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.