ground

Pluralgrounds

Formsgrounds, grounding, grounded

1. 1
   earth's surfacenouncountable or uncountable

   The surface of the Earth, as distinct from the sky above, the water, or what lies underground.

   The helicopter hovered a few feet above the ground before landing.

   Snow covered the ground for most of January.

   UsageOutdoors it is the ground; indoors, usually the floor: fell to the ground, sat on the floor.

   Similarearth, land

   Note

   It names the surface underfoot as opposed to the air above, so things fall to the ground, long skirts sweep the ground, and land slopes upward. From the ground is a fixed vantage point: the view of someone standing there rather than passing overhead.

2. 2
   landscapenoununcountable

   Land of a particular character or condition, considered as terrain to be crossed, occupied, or built on.

   The soldiers advanced slowly over marshy ground.

   Cyclists prefer level ground for long training rides.

   UsageUsually with an adjective and no a: marshy ground, level ground, over rough ground.

   Similarterrain, land, country

3. 3
   soilnouncountable or uncountable

   Soil or earth, especially as material that can be dug, planted, or built upon.

   Earthworms enrich the ground as they tunnel through it.

   Workers broke the frozen ground with picks before laying the pipes.

   UsageOften in the ground: plant seeds in the ground, dig the ground.

   Similarsoil, earth, dirt

4. 4
   reasonnouncountable or uncountableplural

   A reason or justification offered in support of an action, belief, or claim.

   The court found sufficient ground to dismiss the lawsuit.

   His repeated absences gave the company grounds for ending his contract.

   UsageUsually plural: grounds for divorce, on the grounds that, on health grounds.

   Similarreason, cause, justification, basis

5. 5
   place for activitynouncountable or uncountablein compounds

   An area that is well suited to a particular activity, such as fishing, hunting, or breeding.

   This stretch of coast is rich fishing ground for the local crews.

   Owls treat the open meadow as prime hunting ground.

   UsageAfter an activity word: fishing ground, hunting ground, breeding ground.

   Similarterritory, area

   Note

   The use stretches easily to people, as when a police force is described as good recruiting ground for the army. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • A police force has been described as good recruiting ground for the army. en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   foundationnouncountable or uncountable

   A basis or foundation, or the preparatory work on which something is later built.

   Decades of fieldwork provided the ground on which the new theory was built.

   Negotiators spent months preparing the ground for the summit.

   UsageOften prepare the ground or lay the ground for something.

   Similarfoundation, basis, base

   Note

   A metaphor of footing that English has used for centuries. John Skelton, in Ware the Hauke (written about 1505, printed about 1545), calls the sacrament the thing "that of our fayth the grownd is."

7. 7
   base onverbtransitive

   To found or fix something firmly on a basis such as a foundation, reason, or principle.

   Careful historians ground their conclusions in primary sources.

   The whole argument is grounded in a single questionable assumption.

   UsageUsually grounded in or grounded on: grounded in evidence.

   Similarbase, root, found, anchor

   Note

   The King James Bible of 1611 pairs it with a plant image, "rooted and grounded in love." William Hamilton uses it of the facts that could ground an argument. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. wwwe.lib.cam.ac.uk
   • The King James Bible contains the exact phrase “rooted and grounded in love,” pairing grounded with plant imagery. en.wikisource.org
   • William Hamilton used ground for phenomena that could provide the basis of an argument. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   advantagenounfigurativelycountable or uncountable

   Position or advantage gained or held in a contest, whether a battle, a game, an election, or an argument, as in to gain or give ground.

   The challenger gained ground in the polls after the televised debate.

   The defending champion refused to give ground in the final set.

   UsageUsually gain, lose, give or hold ground, with no a.

9. 9
   powderedadjective

   Crushed, milled, or otherwise reduced to small particles or powder.

   Freshly ground pepper has a stronger aroma than the pre-packaged kind.

   The sculptor mixed ground marble into the plaster for extra strength.

   UsageOften with freshly, finely or coarsely: freshly ground pepper, finely ground coffee.

   Similarmilled

   Oppositewhole

   Note

   The participle turned adjective, used for food and powders: ground mustard seed, ground pepper, powder that appears finely ground. Melville stretches it in Moby Dick (1851), where joy and sorrow seem "ground to finest dust" in Ahab's soul. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The adjective derives from the participle of grind. en.wiktionary.org
   • Herman Melville wrote Moby-Dick. gutenberg.org
   • Moby-Dick was first published in 1851. commons.wikimedia.org
   • The quoted words occur in narration describing joy and sorrow being pulverized in Ahab's soul. gutenberg.org
10. 10
    grind (past)verb

    Simple past and past participle of grind.

    He ground his teeth in frustration during the meeting.

    The lenses were ground to a precise curvature before polishing.

    UsageOne form for both uses: I ground the coffee; the lenses were ground (not incorrect: grinded).

    Note

    A past form with no tie to the noun: it comes from grind, while the noun is Old English grund. Grind follows the vowel pattern of find/found, bind/bound and wind/wound. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The past form ground derives from grind, separately from the noun ground. en.wiktionary.org
    • The noun ground descends from Old English grund. en.wiktionary.org
    • Grind/ground has the same vowel alternation as find/found, bind/bound and wind/wound. en.wikipedia.org
11. 11
    stop flyingverbtransitive

    To forbid or prevent an aircraft or pilot from flying.

    Regulators may ground the entire fleet while the investigation continues.

    The flight surgeon grounded the pilot for six months after the failed medical exam.

    UsageOften passive: the fleet was grounded, flights were grounded.

12. 12
    electric earthnouncountable or uncountable

    An electrical connection to the earth; also, a large conducting body, such as a metal chassis, whose potential serves as the zero reference.

    The electrician checked that every outlet in the house was wired to ground.

    A loose connection to ground caused the persistent hum in the speakers.

    UsageOften to ground, with no article: wired to ground. British English says earth.

    Similarearth

    Note

    The electrician's zero point: the conductor every other potential is measured against. It may really run into the earth, or it may be a large mass of metal such as a chassis. A ground can be deliberate, made with plates buried in the soil, or accidental, an unwanted path the current finds. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

    • Ground provides the reference potential against which other potentials in a circuit are measured. ni.com
    • A ground may connect to the earth. osha.gov
    • A metal chassis may serve as the ground reference. standards.nasa.gov
    • An intentional ground can use plates buried in soil. dir.ca.gov
    • A ground connection can be accidental. osha.gov
13. 13
    soccer stadiumnounUKcountable

    A sports field or stadium where matches are played, especially the home venue of a soccer or cricket club; in cricket, also the area behind the popping crease where the batter is safe.

    The club's ground holds nearly forty thousand supporters on match days.

    The club has played at the same ground since the 1920s.

    Similarstadium, venue, field

    Note

    A British football word for a club's home, and the venue's name attaches to it: Manchester United's ground is known as Old Trafford. The same word serves for a cricket venue, so ground suits British sporting fields in general, while stadium is the broader term. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

    • Manchester United's home ground is Old Trafford. manutd.com
14. 14
    calm (mind)verbtransitive

    To bring someone into a calmer, steadier, or more focused mental or emotional state.

    Therapists often teach breathing exercises to ground anxious patients.

    A few minutes of meditation grounds her before every performance.

    UsageOften ground someone or ground yourself; also grounding exercises.

    Similarcalm, steady, settle, center

15. 15
    backgroundnouncountable or uncountable

    The background, context, or surroundings against which something is perceived or understood.

    The tiny yellow flowers stood out clearly against a ground of dark green moss.

    Critics read the novel against the ground of postwar anxiety.

    UsageOften against a ground of something, or paired as figure and ground.

    Similarbackground, backdrop, context, setting

16. 16
    baseball hitverbintransitive

    In baseball, to hit a ball that bounces or rolls along the ground, rather than a fly ball or line drive.

    He grounded sharply to the shortstop, who threw him out at first.

    With runners on base, hitters try not to ground into a double play.

    UsageOften ground out to a fielder or ground into a double play.

    Note

    Baseball builds a small set of phrases on this verb. A batter grounds out, grounds out to second or to short, or grounds into a double play. The fielder's position tells you where the ball went, and out tells you the result. Ground sits beside fly and line as one of three verbs that name a batted ball by its path.

17. 17
    coffee bitsnoun

    Fine bits of solid matter that settle at the bottom of a liquid, most often of coffee.

    He finished his espresso and frowned at the gritty grounds left in the cup.

    Pour slowly so the grounds stay behind in the pot.

    Similardregs, sediment

    Note

    A word that is nearly always plural, and one that only looks as if it came from grinding. Ground coffee is coffee that has been put through a grinder, from grind; coffee grounds are what is left in the pot once it has brewed. Grounds belong instead to Old English grund, the word behind the seabed or riverbed, and the connection is easy to see: grounds are what sinks to the bottom.

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