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

Additional platforms are planned for other rail services at ground level. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

The white structure shown is deeply imbedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. —Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025

This means ground level zone concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025

Trim the lower branches of your hydrangea to allow air to circulate at ground level. —Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ground level

• daredevil
• sublevel
• bevel
• devil
• mediaeval
• multilevel