# grounds

Pronunciation: say "GROWNDZ" /ɡɹaʊndz/

## Noun

1. The sediment that settles at the bottom of a liquid, or that remains after a liquid has been filtered.
   - Simple: The bits of solid material that settle at the bottom of a liquid like coffee.
   - _Rinse the press carefully so the grounds don't clog the drain._
   - _The damp grounds left in the filter make excellent fertilizer for roses._
2. The basis or justification for an action, belief, or claim.
   - Simple: A good reason for doing, believing, or claiming something.
   - _The tenant challenged the eviction on the grounds that proper notice was never given._
   - _Investigators had reasonable grounds for suspecting fraud._
3. The land areas that together make up a larger property, such as those surrounding a building or estate.
   - Simple: The land and gardens around a large building.
   - _The mansion's grounds stretched for several acres beyond the formal gardens._
   - _Security patrols the hospital grounds throughout the night._
4. Plural of ground. — plural of ground
   - Simple: Plural of ground. Use this form when you mean more than one ground.
   - _The tribe moved between its summer and winter hunting grounds._
   - _The old burial grounds lay just east of the village._

## Verb

5. Third-person singular simple present of ground. — third-person singular simple present indicative of ground
   - Simple: The form of ground used in the present with he, she, it, or a singular noun such as the dog or water.
   - _The electrician grounds every outlet before sealing the wall._
   - _Whenever the children misbehave, their mother grounds them for a week._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3** — From "ground," in the sense of a basis or one's surroundings.
**Meaning 1** — From "ground," the past participle of the verb "to grind."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/grounds (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).