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

Wood siding should start at least 6 inches above ground level. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2026

Stump grinders are large, specialized equipment with rotating teeth that chew the stump to below ground level. —Daniel Scott, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Mar. 2026

Passengers will board aircraft at ground level rather than through a traditional jet bridge, offering a different experience from larger commercial airports. —Ken Molestina, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Up to half foot of saltwater inundation above ground level is possible near shorelines and tidal waterways. —Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ground level

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