ground

noun, often attributive

\ ˈgrau̇nd

Definition of ground

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the bottom of a body of water

b grounds plural

(1) : sediment sense 1

(2) : ground coffee beans after brewing

2a : a basis for belief, action, or argument ground for complaint —often used in plural sufficient grounds for divorce

b(1) : a fundamental logical condition

(2) : a basic metaphysical (see metaphysical sense 2) cause

3a : a surrounding area : background

b : material that serves as a substratum

4a : the surface of a planet (such as the earth or Mars)

b : an area used for a particular purpose the parade ground fishing grounds

c grounds plural : the area around and belonging to a house or other building

d : an area to be won or defended in or as if in battle

e : an area of knowledge or special interest covered a lot of ground in his lecture

5a : soil, earth

b : a special soil

6a : an object that makes an electrical connection with the earth

b : a large conducting body (such as the earth) used as a common return for an electric circuit and as an arbitrary zero of potential

c : electric connection with a ground

7 : a football offense utilizing primarily running plays

from the ground up

1 : entirely new or afresh The car has been redesigned from the ground up.

2 : from the very beginning : thoroughly built the resort from the ground up

into the ground

: beyond what is necessary or tolerable : to exhaustion labored an issue into the ground — Newsweek

off the ground

: in or as if in flight : off to a good start the program never got off the ground

on the ground

: at the scene of action

to ground

1 : into a burrow the fox went to ground

2 : into hiding might need to make a run for it and go to ground someplace— Edward Hoagland

ground

verb

grounded; grounding; grounds

Definition of ground (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to bring to or place on the ground

b : to cause to run aground

2a : to provide a reason or justification for our fears about technological change may be well grounded— L. K. Williams

b : to furnish with a foundation of knowledge : base an understanding … that is grounded in fact— Michael Kimmelman

3 : to connect electrically with a ground

4a : to restrict to the ground ground a pilot

b : to prohibit from taking part in some usual activities grounded her for a week

5 : to throw (a football) intentionally to the ground to avoid being tackled for a loss

intransitive verb

1 : to have a ground or basis : rely

2 : to run aground The ship grounded on a mud bank.

3 : to hit a grounder grounded back to the pitcher

ground

Definition of ground (Entry 3 of 3)

past tense and past participle of grind

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Synonyms for ground

Synonyms: Noun

demesne, park, premises (also premisses), yard

Synonyms: Verb

base, hang, predicate, rest

Examples of ground in a Sentence

Noun

An apple fell to the ground. Mechanical problems kept the plane on the ground. They were lying on the ground. The flight was watched by many observers on the ground. planting seeds in the ground She drove a spike into the ground. They built their house on bare ground. We realized that we were on hallowed ground. They built their house on high ground. Each fall the birds return to their wintering grounds.

Verb

They grounded the ship on a sandbar. The plane was grounded by mechanical problems. Bad weather grounded his flight. a pilot grounded by health problems

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

On Sunday, Parkey’s 43-yard attempt in the closing seconds hit halfway up the upright and ricocheted off the crossbar before harmlessly falling to the ground. — Andrew Seligman, The Seattle Times, "Bears come to grips with cruel end to breakthrough season," 7 Jan. 2019 Last year, Meghan was snapped looking down to the ground several times during the Christmas outing. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "How Meghan Markle's Body Language Has Evolved Since Last Christmas," 26 Dec. 2018 According to The New York Times, the most common way thundersnow can develop is when warm, moist air close to the ground mixes with colder air that’s up higher. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "What Is Thundersnow? Everything to Know About the Rare Weather Phenomenon," 26 Nov. 2018 SpaceX separately sought approval for 7,518 satellites operating even closer to the ground, saying that these will boost capacity and reduce latency in heavily populated areas. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC tells SpaceX it can deploy up to 11,943 broadband satellites," 15 Nov. 2018 SpaceX has been trying to get this launch off the ground for the last week, but a combination of bad weather and strange sensor readings on the rocket forced the company to push back the mission until Saturday, December 22nd. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Watch SpaceX launch its final Falcon 9 rocket of the year for the Air Force," 21 Dec. 2018 And Musk managed to change the entire competitive landscape for space launch across the globe in the same amount of time as Branson struggled to get this one flight off the ground. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Virgin Galactic Hype Totally Misses the Point," 13 Dec. 2018 Personally, Woods put $100,000 of his own money into the company to get it off the ground, and $50,000 from an angel investor. — Brittany Meiling, The Seattle Times, "Would you rent a bed by the hour? ‘Napping pod’ startup targets exhausted workers, students," 12 Dec. 2018 The handy piece attaches to whatever your baby is wearing to keep their pacifier close by and off the ground. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Everyone Is Obsessed With This Cozy Outfit Worn by Chip and Joanna Gaines' Baby Boy," 8 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

To ground the leg-revealing outfit, Hadid wore a pair of Louis Vuitton’s intergalactic Archlight sneakers. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Bella Hadid Takes Virgil Abloh’s “Warcore” Vest to the Street," 10 Jan. 2019 Upon questioning the other Hart kids, investigators learn the children are often grounded, spanked, or sent to bed without food. — Glamour, "Broken Harts, Episode 5: 'Owies'," 8 Jan. 2019 More importantly, this film remains grounded through its gorgeously drawn insanity by focusing on newest hero Miles Morales and his emotional relationships with imperfect mentors. 1. — Sam Machkovech And Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Films for the discerning nerd: Ars picks the best of 2018," 27 Dec. 2018 Definitely refreshing to see an athlete as grounded as Varner is. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Harold Varner III Mows Parents' Lawn a Day After Finishing Fifth in PGA Tour Event," 9 July 2018 Instead of a basic black pump, Beckham grounded her streamlined frock with suede lilac heels. — Edward Barsamian, Vogue, "Forget Black Pumps: Victoria Beckham Has Just the Right Shoe for a Classic Party Dress," 6 Dec. 2018 In the meantime, Indonesia has grounded all of the country's 737 MAX planes. — Barbara S. Peterson, Popular Mechanics, "Lion Air 610 Had the Same Problem Four Flights in a Row Before It Crashed," 5 Nov. 2018 Bella grounded the bright hue with a tan suede moto jacket and matching furry slides. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Bella Thorne Wore Matching Orange Flares and Tube Top," 22 May 2018 But this week, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee backed up the intelligence agencies, issuing a report saying that their assessment was well-grounded. — David Lauter, latimes.com, "As Trump readies Supreme Court pick, Democrats prepare a fight even though a loss is likely," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ground.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for ground

Last Updated

14 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for ground

The first known use of ground was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for ground

ground

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ground

(Entry 1 of 2)

the ground : the surface of the earth

: the soil that is on or under the surface of the earth

: an area of land

ground

verb

English Language Learners Definition of ground (Entry 2 of 2)

: to provide a basis or reason for (something)

: to cause a ship or boat to hit the ground below the water so that it cannot move

: to prevent (an aircraft or a pilot) from flying

See the full definition for ground in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ground

noun

\ ˈgrau̇nd

Kids Definition of ground

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the surface of the earth Leaves fell to the ground.

2 : soil entry 2 sense 1, earth The beans themselves popped out of the ground.— Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

3 : the bottom of a body of water The boat struck ground.

4 : an area of land sacred ground

5 : an area used for some purpose a hunting ground

6 grounds plural : the land around and belonging to a building the school grounds

7 : background sense 1

8 : a reason for a belief, action, or argument What is the ground for your complaint?

9 : an area of knowledge We covered a lot of ground in class.

10 : a level of achievement or success The company is losing ground.

11 grounds plural : material in a liquid that settles to the bottom coffee grounds

ground

verb

grounded; grounding

Kids Definition of ground (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : to provide a reason for The practices are grounded in tradition.

2 : to instruct in basic knowledge or understanding The students are well grounded in math.

3 : to run or cause to run aground ground a ship

4 : to connect electrically with the ground

5 : to prevent (a plane or pilot) from flying

6 : to prohibit from taking part in certain activities as punishment My parents grounded me for a week.

ground

Kids Definition of ground (Entry 3 of 3)

past tense and past participle of grind

ground

Medical Definition of ground

past and past part of grind

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ground

noun

Legal Definition of ground

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the foundation or basis on which knowledge, belief, or conviction rests : a premise, reason, or collection of data upon which something (as a legal action or argument) relies for validity sued the city on the ground that the city…had wrongfully released…records — City of Lawton v. Moore, 868 P.2d 690 (1993) listed adultery and alcoholism as the grounds for divorce

2 : a piece or parcel of land the design being to create high ground for use during overflow periods — Bright v. Perkins, 239 S.W.2d 281 (1951) a sudden disruption of a piece of ground from one man's land — Porter v. Arkansas Western Gas Co., 482 S.W.2d 598 (1972)

ground

transitive verb

Legal Definition of ground (Entry 2 of 2)

: to furnish a ground for : set on a basis that court grounded the disclosure requirement in negligence law — Scott v. Bradford, 606 P.2d 554 (1979) an argument grounded on falsehoods