ground floor
Americannoun
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ground floors
plural
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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.
Kosin and his family lifted their belongings once they saw the water level was higher than the canal retaining wall, but their ground floor was still left soaked.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
On the right, a balcony overlooks the Tapestry, lying flat in a glowing glass case that runs from one end of the gallery’s ground floor to the other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The project’s estimated $52-million cost includes $22 million in VA funds identified as “commercial cost” for development of the ground floor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The then 21-year-old appointed Slocombe to build an extension and make the ground floor of the home open plan.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The entire ground floor, except for the kitchen to one side, was lined with shelves, and the shelves were filled with volumes of every sort.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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.
