break ground

phrase

1

: to begin construction

breaking ground on a new wing of the hospital

2

or break new ground : to make or show discoveries : pioneer

Examples of break ground in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By the time the project broke ground in June 2023, the cost of the new headquarters had increased to $140 million due to inflation, construction delays and structural design changes. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved the zoning of 1,000 acres of the project Wednesday, and Verma-Lallian hopes to break ground on the project within the next year and roll it out in phases over the next decade. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Ameresco and its subsidiary Neogenyx Fuels have broken ground on the facility at Adams Land & Cattle in Broken Bow, where eight anaerobic digesters will process livestock waste. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026

China’s new megadam project on Tibet’s Yarlung Tsangpo river, which broke ground last July, is one of what researchers say are dozens of hydropower projects across Tibet. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for break ground

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