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 levelNeil 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
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Prune them back completely, leaving just the smallest stubs at ground level. Heather Bien, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026 Last Great Wilderness If Laikipia reveals Kenya at ground level, the Matthews Mountains showcase an entirely different side of the country. Nicola Shepherd, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026 There, guards forced her and the other Azov women onto the ground and told them to crawl across the concrete floor and into their cell, a basement smaller than a studio apartment, with a sliver of window just above ground level. Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 The secondary entrance at Grand Avenue and Rush Street at ground level will also be upgraded with another digital display, enhanced lighting, and other new features. Adam Harrington, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ground level

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ground level was in 1787

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Cite this Entry

“Ground level.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20level. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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