ground floor

American  

noun

ground floors plural

1. the floor of a building at or nearest to ground level.

2. 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.

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ground floor British  

noun

1. the floor of a building level or almost level with the ground

2. informal

   1. to enter a business, organization, etc, at the lowest level

   2. to be in a project, undertaking, etc, from its inception

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ground floors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ground floor

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ground floor

River Island and Levi's had shops on the ground floor of the building but both units have closed.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Another flaw: “soft-story” buildings, where the ground floor is flimsier than the upper floors, making it easier for it to topple in a quake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Standing before it, Khalaf saw how the wall of the adjacent building had toppled onto the ground floor, flooding the shop with rubble and coating everything with a film of fine gray dust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 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

After all, if this was the ground floor, or a jungle gym in the school yard, it would be child’s play.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz