ground floor
Americannoun
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the floor of a building at or nearest to ground level.
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Informal. an advantageous position or opportunity in a business matter, especially in a new enterprise.
She took the job in the new company because she wanted to get in on the ground floor.
noun
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the floor of a building level or almost level with the ground
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informal
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to enter a business, organization, etc, at the lowest level
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to be in a project, undertaking, etc, from its inception
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ground floor
First recorded in 1595–1605
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.
There are close to 1,000 residential units in historic buildings at the intersection of Broadway and 5th Street, Bastian said, but all the ground floor stores are closed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
More Chinese initial public offerings are coming that give investors an opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The tower - once a 23-storey high rise block home to hundreds of people - is being brought to the ground floor by floor.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
The sole house remaining has two reception rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom on the ground floor, with three bedrooms above, front and back gardens, and sheds.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
He breathes in as he says it and it makes my stomach drop to the ground floor.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
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.
