à terre

[ French a -ter ]

/ French a ˈtɛr /

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adverb Ballet.

on the ground.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

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Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Origin of à terre

Borrowed into English from French around 1920–25

Words nearby à terre

Aten, Aten asteroid, atenolol, a tergo, Aterian, à terre, at every turn, at face value, take, at fault, at first, at first blush

How to use à terre in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Because Duck Dynasty receives monster TV ratings and Robertson paid by a company (A&E) while making these public statements.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Urinary sediments may be studied under three heads: A. Unorganized sediments.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
I knowed, a-course, that I could go kick up a fuss when Simpson stopped by his office on his trip back from Goldstone.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates