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

Here's how to get those boots on the ground and step up your volunteer game. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "How To Volunteer For A Political Campaign and Change The World," 25 Jan. 2019 Markle and Prince Harry are relocating from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage, which is on the grounds of Windsor Castle. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Royal Baby: Everything We Know," 24 Jan. 2019 This fall, the Palace announced Harry and Meghan will live at Frogmore Cottage, a Grade II white stucco home on the grounds of Windsor Castle. — Vogue, "Everything We Know About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Baby," 17 Jan. 2019 On June 23, 1963, Walt Disney opened his famous Tiki Room on the grounds of Disneyland. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Disney Attraction Powered by Nuclear Weapons Tech," 16 Jan. 2019 Coachella's new initiative also outlines ways festival goers can help keep each other safe, like always asking for consent and reporting misconduct at a kiosk available on festival grounds. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Coachella Announced Sexual Harassment Prevention Efforts," 4 Jan. 2019 All three are represented by the same law firm, Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, and are suing on roughly the same grounds. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "Fortnite keeps stealing dances — and no one knows if it’s illegal," 20 Dec. 2018 John Brown, the abolitionist revolutionary, was convicted of treason against the state of Virginia on grounds of levying war after his raid on Harpers Ferry. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Michael Flynn’s judge suggested he might be guilty of treason. He’s not.," 18 Dec. 2018 Raise the tree a few inches, then push the trunk into the ground. — Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, "Here's How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresh Longer," 18 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Pink is foolproof and works across the board, while brown is an easy, grounding choice that adds balance when dark lipstick or heavy lashes are in play. — Michelle Sulcov, Glamour, "These Before-and-After Photos Show What a Difference Blush Can Make," 31 Aug. 2018 The Twins went to a five-man infield and Hernan Perez, batting for closer Corey Knebel, grounded into a force at the plate, with catcher Bobby Wilson handling a wide throw. — Tom Haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers 6, Twins 5 (10): After falling behind on yet another grand slam, Brewers rally," 2 July 2018 Giants manager Bruce Bochy brought in left-hander Ty Blach to face the left-handed hitting Spangenberg, who ended up grounding a 1-1 curve below the zone under the dive of first baseman Brandon Belt. — Kevin Acee, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Giants get walk-off win against Hand, Padres in 11th inning," 24 June 2018 Since 1980, government deregulation has consolidated the airline industry into a network of major hubs, all but grounding short-haul flights. — CBS News, "Electric airplanes could be just over the horizon," 9 June 2018 When flights between Texas and Washington were grounded by a blizzard in 2017, the two rented a Chevy Impala and drove. — Kyle Peterson, WSJ, "Lessons From a Republican Survivor," 4 Jan. 2019 Granderson tied the game, 1-1, scoring when Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short. — George Sipple, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers top Blue Jays, 3-2, in 10 inn.; Blaine Hardy earns save," 2 July 2018 Gattis was stranded as the tying run when Marwin Gonzalez grounded the first pitch Jose Alvarado tossed, ending the game and ensuring a miserable fourth inning sunk Houston and starter Gerrit Cole. — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, "Rare rough showing from Astros results in loss to Rays," 29 June 2018 Baylor singled, and the game ended when Ron Jackson grounded into a forceout. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, "A Rookie Treasures Lessons From Roy Halladay," 16 June 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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Last Updated

11 Feb 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 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