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

But when the homeowner comes after the rapper and country music legend, Lil Nas X takes cover by hopping into a hole in the ground. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, "The Official Movie for Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" Is a Star-Studded Yeehaw Adventure," 17 May 2019 Jeep owners are thick on the ground in Colorado, and they are known to have a sense of occasion. — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, "Hundreds of Jeeps Pay Tribute to 18-Year-Old Jeep Owner Killed Thwarting School Shooting," 16 May 2019 Either way, the outcome is a stone that has the same properties as a diamond made in the ground but with different, distinguishable crystal patterns. — Alexandra Macon, Vogue, "7 Ways Engagement Ring-Buying Is Changing," 12 Apr. 2019 By keeping its natural gas in the ground, New York has lost out on jobs and tax revenue. — Robert Bryce, WSJ, "Gas Shortages Give New York an Early Taste of the Green New Deal," 15 Feb. 2019 These plants can go in the ground any time, even in midsummer, to refresh your beds. — Arricca Sansone, Country Living, "Annuals vs. Perennials: Everything You Need to Know," 1 Feb. 2019 Of course there was a lavish party for the expensive hole in the ground. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Another damning Facebook data-privacy report — and a new lawsuit — sink the social network’s shares," 20 Dec. 2018 At these sites, Hoecker has embedded sensors in the ground to collect data on soil temperature and moisture, while meteorological stations at each site collect data on air temperature, humidity and solar radiation. — Kristen Pope, Discover Magazine, "Wildfire Engulfed Yellowstone 30 Years Ago. Its Recovery Could Predict The Future of the West," 12 Nov. 2018 Their country estate is the site of many important photographic family milestones—the Cambridge family Christmas card was also taken on the Anmer Hall grounds. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "See Princess Charlotte’s Adorable New Portraits for Her 4th Birthday," 1 May 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

On the next pitch, a fastball on the outside corner, Sheffield got Betts to ground into a game-ending double play (the Yankees won 10-1) to secure a scoreless inning for one of the baseball’s top pitching prospects. — Adam Jude, The Seattle Times, "Justus Sheffield found his competitive spirit early, and now it’s driving him toward a Mariners call-up," 13 Apr. 2019 Cayman Airways and all carriers operating in Indonesia have grounded the MAX 8, while authorities India are subjecting the planes to review. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Now Britain Is Grounding All Boeing 737 Max 8 Jets Following Catastrophic Ethiopia Crash," 11 Mar. 2019 There’s something grounding about it, and an intimacy that comes with it. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "Is Brian d'Arcy James the Busiest Actor in Hollywood?," 17 Jan. 2019 Penta sacrificed Horsey to second and Melinda Morgan grounded back to Murphy for the second out, with Horsey moving to third. — Randy Mcroberts, The Aegis, "CMW falls to Bo Manor, 2-0, in near repeat of softball game played earlier this month," 1 May 2018 The Marlins had two runners on in the seventh but pinch-hitter Tomas Telis grounded out against reliever Adam Ottavino. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins get strong start from Urena but no offense in losing Prado's return," 28 Apr. 2018 The scammer beauty routine seems to be grounded by the lack of a hairbrush and a semi-dazed look in the eyes, which is heightened on female scammers by a haphazard application of black eye makeup. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Why Is Scammer Style So Bad?," 22 Mar. 2019 Both incidents have placed a harsh spotlight on Boeing, which has seen all of Max 8 and 9 jets grounded by aviation authorities throughout the world in the immediate wake of the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy which killed 157 earlier this month. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Report: Boeing Charged Extra for Safety Features Tied to 737 Max Crashes," 21 Mar. 2019 Enter: Troy’s latest seven-piece Rebar Capsule Collection—a place where hot pink, snake-like rebar legs hold up a modern coffee table; where a contemporary double-sided mirror is framed by neon green rebar and grounded by an exotic wood base. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "A Bold and Sculptural New Furniture Collection Inspired by the Basics," 26 Feb. 2019

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

20 May 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