ground level

noun

plural ground levels

1

a

: the level of the ground taken as a reference point

From ground level, the arrayed fields of feed corn and soybeans look … like sprint tracks or Olympic pools, replete with the angles and alleys of serious tennis.

—David Foster Wallace

These survey flights were conducted at 300 feet above ground level. During the return flight to Schefferville, the aircraft descended and flew over terrain at an altitude varying between 100 and 40 feet above ground level.

—Targeted New Service

compare sea level

b

: the story (see story entry 3 sense 1a) of a building with its floor aligned to ground level : ground floor sense 1

It was a two-story house with white siding on the ground level …

—Neil Sheehan

2

: the state of a physical system (as of an atomic nucleus or an atom) having the least energy of all the possible states : ground state

Examples of ground level in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to authorities, staff members observed and tracked Hubbs from about 500 feet above ground level after the collision. —Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026

Use pruning shears to cut the stems at ground level and place the cuttings in a plastic bag for disposal. —Caroline Biggs, Martha Stewart, 23 May 2026

From ground level, the waterfall reveals itself in sections, but from above, the full geography suddenly becomes clear. —Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026

One of a handful of centuries-old lighthouses still standing in the Outer Banks today, the Ocracoke Lighthouse is open to visitors at ground level and often has National Park Service interpreters on site to share information about the beacon. —Caroline Eubanks, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ground level

• daredevil
• sublevel
• bevel
• devil
• multilevel