ground

[ ground ]

/ graʊnd /

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See synonyms for: ground / grounded / grounding / grounds on Thesaurus.com

noun

the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.

earth or soil: stony ground.

land having an indicated character: rising ground.

Often grounds . a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.

Often grounds . the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.

subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.

rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.

the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.

Fine Arts.

a coating of some substance serving as a surface for paint, ink, or other media in art: Lead white is a traditional ground for oil paintings.
ground color (def. 2).

(in perception) the background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.

Also called etching ground. an acid-resistant substance, composed of wax, gum, and resin in varying proportions, applied to the entire surface of an etching plate and through which the design is drawn with an etching needle.

grounds, dregs or sediment: coffee grounds.

grounds, the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.

Electricity. a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.

Music. ground bass.

Nautical. the bottom of a body of water.

the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water.

Carpentry.

a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.
a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.

adjective

situated on or at, or adjacent to, the surface of the earth: a ground attack.

pertaining to the ground.

Military. operating on land: ground forces.

verb (used with object)

to lay or set on the ground.

to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.

to instruct in elements or first principles: to ground students in science.

to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.

to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.

Electricity. to establish a ground for (a circuit, device, etc.).

Nautical. to cause (a vessel) to run aground.

Aeronautics. to restrict (an aircraft or the like) to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.

to forbid (a pilot) to fly because of bad health, failure to comply with safety regulations, or the like.

Informal. to put out of action or make unable to participate: The quarterback was grounded by a knee injury.

Informal. to restrict the activities, especially the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.

verb (used without object)

to come to or strike the ground.

Baseball.

to hit a ground ball.
to ground out.

Verb Phrases

ground out, Baseball. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about ground

break ground,

to plow.
to begin excavation for a construction project.
to begin upon or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.

cover ground,

to pass or travel over a certain area.
to make a certain amount of progress in dealing with a piece of work, subject, treatise, or the like: He talked for two hours without covering much ground.

cut the ground from under, to render (an argument, position, person, etc.) ineffective or invalid; refute: It didn't require much effort to cut the ground from under that case.

from the ground up,

gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.
extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.

gain ground,

to make progress; advance.
to gain approval or acceptance: The case for air-pollution control is gaining ground throughout the country.

give ground, to yield to force or forceful argument; retreat: The disarmament talks reached an impasse when neither side would give ground on inspection proposals.

hold / stand one's ground, to maintain one's position; be steadfast: The referee stood his ground, though his decision was hotly contested by the crowd.

into the ground, beyond a reasonable or necessary point: You've stated your case, and you needn't run it into the ground.

lose ground,

to retreat or be forced back.
to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.
to wane in popularity or acceptance; begin to fail: Our candidate is losing ground in industrial areas.

off the ground, Informal. into action or well under way: The play never got off the ground.

on one's own ground, in an area or situation that one knows well.

on the ground, at the place of interest or importance; actively engaged: Minutes after the bank robbery reporters were on the ground to get the story.

shift ground, to change position in an argument or situation.

suit down to the ground, to be perfectly satisfactory; please greatly: This climate suits me down to the ground.

take the ground, Nautical. to become grounded at low water.

to ground,

into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.
into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.

Origin of ground

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun ground, grund, grond “bottom, base, foot (of a ladder),” Old English grund “bottom, deep place, abyss”; cognate with Dutch grond, German Grund; verb derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM ground

ground·a·ble, adjectiveground·a·bly, adverbground·ed·ly, adverbground·ed·ness, noun

groundward, groundwards, adverb, adjectiveun·ground·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for ground (2 of 2)

ground²

[ ground ]

/ graʊnd /

verb

a simple past tense and past participle of grind.

adjective

reduced to fine particles or dust by grinding.

(of meat, vegetables, etc.) reduced to very small pieces by putting through a food processor or grinder: ground beef.

having the surface abraded or roughened by or as if by grinding, as in order to reduce its transparency: ground glass.

Origin of ground

First recorded in 1755–65 for def. 2; see ground¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ground in a sentence

They do this, Rogers explains, by forcing coastal wetlands to store carbon below ground and within the living plants.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students
This is where the golden spike is driven—ground zero for a major course change in Earth history.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
There are rovers tasked with understanding organics on the ground and looking for signs of life.
We need to go to Venus as soon as possible|Neel Patel|September 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review
They focused on his feet positioning on sprints, having him start either on the ground or with his two feet on a line, as opposed to a natural sprinting position with one foot in front of the other.
A Canadian Teenager Is One Of The Fastest Soccer Players In The World|Julian McKenzie|September 16, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Hoist the bag up until the cache hangs at least 12 feet off the ground and five feet below the branch.
This essential survival tool can save your life 10 different ways|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
But for me, this admittance of uncertainty and doubts grounds Serial in reality.
Adnan Killed Her! No, Jay Did It! Serial’s Uncertain, True-to-Reality End|Emily Shire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By 27 September, there were 1,400 people in the grounds of the embassy, creating a small humanitarian crisis.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though this might easily have been grounds for dismissal or reassignment, nothing of the sort happened.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They cannot go to the European Court because they have no grounds,” she says.
In Tussle Over Will, Mistress’s Family Takes a Bite Out of NYU|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Green-Wood has its own catacombs, which grounds keepers will unlock for tour groups.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tea was all laid on tables in the garden, and the sausages were cooking over a fire made on the grounds.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He has taken down its fences, and "boulevarded" its grounds till it merges into those of his neighbors.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
I've seen him prowling about the grounds: and the night of the marriage he was mounted up at the chapel window.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
He was hurrying towards the corner of the palace grounds when a shriek from Winifred set his teeth on edge.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
But for the trees, these sullen skies and level grounds would render England dreary enough.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for ground (1 of 2)

ground¹

/ (ɡraʊnd) /

noun

the land surface

earth or soilhe dug into the ground outside his house

(plural) the land around a dwelling house or other building

(sometimes plural) an area of land given over to a purposefootball ground; burial grounds

land having a particular characteristiclevel ground; high ground

matter for consideration or debate; field of research or inquirythe lecture was familiar ground to him; the report covered a lot of ground

a position or viewpoint, as in an argument or controversy (esp in the phrases give ground, hold, stand, or shift one's ground)

position or advantage, as in a subject or competition (esp in the phrases gain ground, lose ground, etc)

(often plural) reason; justificationgrounds for complaint

arts

the prepared surface applied to the support of a painting, such as a wall, canvas, etc, to prevent it reacting with or absorbing the paint
the support of a painting
the background of a painting or main surface against which the other parts of a work of art appear superimposed

the first coat of paint applied to a surface
(as modifier)ground colour

the bottom of a river or the sea

(plural) sediment or dregs, esp from coffee

mainly British the floor of a room

cricket

the area from the popping crease back past the stumps, in which a batsman may legally stand
ground staff

See ground bass

a mesh or network supporting the main pattern of a piece of lace

electrical, US and Canadian

a connection between an electrical circuit or device and the earth, which is at zero potential
Also called: earth a terminal to which this connection is made

above ground alive

below ground dead and buried

break new ground to do something that has not been done before

cut the ground from under someone's feet to anticipate someone's action or argument and thus make it irrelevant or meaningless

to the ground or down to the ground British informal completely; absolutelyit suited him down to the ground

get off the ground informal to make a beginning, esp one that is successful

go to ground to go into hiding

into the ground beyond what is requisite or can be endured; to exhaustion

meet someone on his own ground to meet someone according to terms he has laid down himself

the high ground or the moral high ground a position of moral or ethical superiority in a dispute

touch ground

(of a ship) to strike the sea bed
to arrive at something solid or stable after discussing or dealing with topics that are abstract or inconclusive

(modifier) situated on, living on, or used on the groundground frost; ground forces

(modifier) concerned with or operating on the ground, esp as distinct from in the airground crew; ground hostess

(modifier) (used in names of plants) low-growing and often trailing or spreading

verb

(tr) to put or place on the ground

(tr) to instruct in fundamentals

(tr) to provide a basis or foundation for; establish

(tr) to confine (an aircraft, pilot, etc) to the ground

(tr) informal to confine (a child) to the house as a punishment

the usual US word for earth (def. 16)

(tr) nautical to run (a vessel) aground

(tr) to cover (a surface) with a preparatory coat of paint

(intr) to hit or reach the ground

Word Origin for ground

Old English grund; related to Old Norse grunn shallow, grunnr, grund plain, Old High German grunt

British Dictionary definitions for ground (2 of 2)

ground²

/ (ɡraʊnd) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of grind

adjective

having the surface finished, thickness reduced, or an edge sharpened by grinding

reduced to fine particles by grinding

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ground

ground

[ ground ]

A connection between an electrical conductor and the Earth. Grounds are used to establish a common zero-voltage reference for electric devices in order to prevent potentially dangerous voltages from arising between them and other objects. Also called earth

The set of shared points in an electrical circuit at which the measured voltage is taken to be zero. The ground is usually connected directly to the power supply and acts as a common sink for current flowing through the components in the circuit.

Other Idioms and Phrases with ground

ground

In addition to the idioms beginning with ground

ground floor, get in on the
ground rules

also see:

both feet on the ground
break ground
common ground
cover ground
cover the field (ground)
cut the ground from under
down to the ground
ear to the ground
from the ground up
gain ground
get off the ground
give ground
happy hunting ground
hit the ground running
lose ground
on one's home ground
run into the ground
run to earth (ground)
stamping ground
stand one's ground
worship the ground someone walks on

ground

Idioms about ground

Origin of ground

OTHER WORDS FROM ground

Other definitions for ground (2 of 2)

Origin of ground

Words related to ground

How to use ground in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ground (1 of 2)

Word Origin for ground

British Dictionary definitions for ground (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for ground

Other Idioms and Phrases with ground