break ground
Idioms-
Also, break new ground.
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Begin digging into the earth for new construction of some kind. For example, When will they break ground for the town hall? This usage alludes to breaking up the land with a plow. [Early 1700s]
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Take the first steps for a new venture; advance beyond previous achievements. For example, Jeff is breaking new ground in intellectual property law . [Early 1700s]
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 developer plans to break ground in September on a master-planned community to include more than 7,200 homes, offices, shops and parks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Goucher will earn $7.5 million by leasing land to the neighboring senior-living community, which will break ground this fall on an expansion, bringing its total population from 400 to around 600 by 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The company plans to break ground on a sprawling $1-billion campus near the Long Beach Airport by midyear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
Family members loaned Thang four glittering one-luong bars -- a standard Vietnamese unit equivalent to 1.2 troy ounces -- to break ground on his house in 2022.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Because tobacco seeds require loads of water for them to break ground, many farmers plant nursery beds by the dambos where they can easily water them daily.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
Definitions 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.
