English Dictionary

Definition of “cornerstone

cornerstone (ˈkɔːnəˌstəʊnPronunciation for cornerstone

Definitions

noun

  1. a stone at the corner of a wall, uniting two intersecting walls; quoin
  2. a stone placed at the corner of a building during a ceremony to mark the start of construction
  3. a person or thing of prime importance; basis  ⇒ the cornerstone of the whole argument 

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= basis, key, premise, starting point, bedrock,

Usage examples

  • Hunted to near extinction, they had once been a cornerstone of life on the South Fork.
    Mark Mills, AMAGANSETT (2004)
  • Interoperability is a cornerstone of integrated care record services.
    British Medical Journal (2002)
  • For the 12 participating member-states we created a strong single currency and completed an important cornerstone of the Single Market.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • Brown delivers his comprehensive spending review with education as the cornerstone.
    Sun, News of the World (2002)
  • This link with ritualistic behaviour has become a cornerstone of human experience.
    Hugh Cornwell, A MULTITUDE OF SINS: Golden Brown, The Stranglers and Strange Little Girls (2004)

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