aground

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈgrau̇nd 

1

: on the ground

planes aloft and aground

2

: on or onto the shore or the bottom of a body of water

A ship ran aground during the storm.

Synonyms of aground

• stranded
• landed
• grounded
• beached

Examples of aground in a Sentence

the villagers came to stare at the foreign ship that was aground on their beach and at the strangely dressed sailors on board

Recent Examples on the Web

Outnumbered but undaunted, the ship managed to capture one vessel, while compelling another to run aground and the last to run away. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 2 July 2026

Iranian state media reported Wednesday that a ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz while using a route that was not approved by Tehran. — Sam Meredith,spencer Kimball, CNBC, 1 July 2026

The assumption is that Lohar will either abandon pursuit or accidentally run the Bitchfist aground on the toothy shoals. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026

When the Kings ran aground in 2024 in a terrible January that got Todd McLellan fired after a 16-4-4 start (which included 11 straight road wins to open that season), Hiller was tabbed to handle the coaching duties on an interim basis. — Eric Stephens, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aground

• abound
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• confound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground
• foreground

Kids Definition

aground

adverb or adjective

ə-ˈgrau̇nd 

: on or onto the shore or the bottom of a body of water

the ship ran aground