aground
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of aground
Explanation
Aground describes a boat that's accidentally gone ashore, or is stuck on the bottom of a lake or other body of water. If your kayak goes aground, you may need to get out and push it further out in the bay. When you use the word aground, you're almost certainly talking about a boat or ship. If a sailboat runs aground, its hull can be damaged, which might even cause the boat to take on water. Running aground can be a minor inconvenience, or a major accident. Since about 1500, the adjective aground has been a nautical term that generally means "stranded on land."
Vocabulary lists containing aground
Red Kayak
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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ferry, which left from the capital Manila and was headed for the town of Coron, is currently aground on an island in Palawan province.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Ice islands from Petermann may instead travel farther before running aground.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
The idea ran aground after a producer cited a lack of tension among captains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“The Little Sister” grows even more intriguing once the love affair runs aground, forcing Fatima to flounder in her heartache.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
The log checked the speed, the lookout warned of dangers they could see, and the lead warned of dangers beneath the surface of the water—sudden shoals and reefs where they might go aground.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
