ground floor

noun

plural ground floors
1
: the floor of a building most nearly on a level with the ground : first floor sense 1
2
: a favorable position or privileged opportunity usually obtained by early participants
used especially in the phrase in on the ground floor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web And staying true to the hotel's effort to honor the original space, the oak floors of the spa are restored and reused from the original building's ground floor. Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2023 New sports bar on ground floor has 16 TVs and live betting. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 28 Mar. 2023 Initially, the couple wanted to create a more French-style space by converting the spacious ground floor primary bedroom, with its stunning view, into the dining room and using the smaller dining room area as their bedroom. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2023 No Arles postman, or peasants, just starry nights and cypresses and the carpets in the hallway and the asylum’s cryptic ground floor cloister. Adam Gopnik, Town & Country, 5 Mar. 2023 The city has committed $50 million to the project, but much of the financing relies on filling ground floor retail space and drawing tenants to fill offices who will pay market rents and help mentor local talent. Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2023 Renovation plans include construction of a fitness center and business center for apartment residents plus ground floor retail space. Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023 Mood lighting throughout the lobby and towering atriums on ground floor also helped set the tone after dusk. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2023 The formerly lifeless ground floor has been animated with a café-bar and a restaurant. Steven Litt, cleveland, 15 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground floor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ground floor was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near ground floor

Cite this Entry

“Ground floor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20floor. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!