Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

ground

[ground]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.

earth or soil: stony ground.

land having an indicated character: rising ground.

Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.

Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.

EXPAND

subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.

rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.

the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.

Fine Arts.

a coating of some substance serving as a surface for paint, ink, or other media in art: Lead white is a traditional ground for oil paintings.

ground color (def. 2).

10.

(in perception) the background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.

11.

Also called etching ground. an acid-resistant substance, composed of wax, gum, and resin in varying proportions, applied to the entire surface of an etching plate and through which the design is drawn with an etching needle.

12.

grounds, dregs or sediment: coffee grounds.

13.

grounds, the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.

14.

Electricity. a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.

15.

Music. ground bass.

16.

Nautical. the bottom of a body of water.

17.

the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water.

18.

Carpentry.

a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.

a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.

COLLAPSE

adjective

19.

situated on or at, or adjacent to, the surface of the earth: a ground attack.

20.

pertaining to the ground.

21.

Military. operating on land: ground forces.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Ground is one of our favorite verbs.

So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to flee; abscond:

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

verb (used with object)

22.

to lay or set on the ground.

23.

to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.

24.

to instruct in elements or first principles: to ground students in science.

25.

to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.

26.

to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.

EXPAND

27.

Electricity. to establish a ground for (a circuit, device, etc.).

28.

Nautical. to cause (a vessel) to run aground.

29.

Aeronautics. to restrict (an aircraft or the like) to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.

30.

to forbid (a pilot) to fly because of bad health, failure to comply with safety regulations, or the like.

31.

Informal. to put out of action or make unable to participate: The quarterback was grounded by a knee injury.

32.

Informal. to restrict the activities, especially the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

33.

to come to or strike the ground.

34.

Baseball.

to hit a ground ball.

to ground out.

Verb phrase

35.

ground out, Baseball. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.

Idioms

36.

break ground,

to plow.

to begin excavation for a construction project.

to begin upon or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.

37.

cover ground,

to pass or travel over a certain area.

to make a certain amount of progress in dealing with a piece of work, subject, treatise, or the like: He talked for two hours without covering much ground.

38.

cut the ground from under, to render (an argument, position, person, etc.) ineffective or invalid; refute: It didn't require much effort to cut the ground from under that case.

39.

from the ground up,

gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.

extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.

40.

gain ground,

to make progress; advance.

to gain approval or acceptance: The case for air-pollution control is gaining ground throughout the country.

EXPAND

41.

give ground, to yield to force or forceful argument; retreat: The disarmament talks reached an impasse when neither side would give ground on inspection proposals.

42.

hold/stand one's ground, to maintain one's position; be steadfast: The referee stood his ground, though his decision was hotly contested by the crowd.

43.

into the ground, beyond a reasonable or necessary point: You've stated your case, and you needn't run it into the ground.

44.

lose ground,

to retreat or be forced back.

to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.

to wane in popularity or acceptance; begin to fail: Our candidate is losing ground in industrial areas.

45.

off the ground, Informal. into action or well under way: The play never got off the ground.

46.

on one's own ground, in an area or situation that one knows well.

47.

on the ground, at the place of interest or importance; actively engaged: Minutes after the bank robbery reporters were on the ground to get the story.

48.

shift ground, to change position in an argument or situation.

49.

suit down to the ground, to be perfectly satisfactory; please greatly: This climate suits me down to the ground.

50.

take the ground, Nautical. to become grounded at low water.

51.

to ground,

into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.

into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English grownd, grund, Old English grund; cognate with Dutch grond, German Grund; (v.) Middle English grundien, grownden to set on a foundation, establish, derivative of the noun

Related forms

ground·a·ble, adjective

ground·a·bly, adverb

ground·ed·ly, adverb

ground·ed·ness, noun

ground·ward, ground·wards, adverb, adjective

EXPAND

un·ground·a·ble, adjective

COLLAPSE

Can be confused: ground, grounds.

Example Sentences

Fresh bread will soon be baking high above ground zero.

It can be used in manufacturing and to help bring up oil from the ground.

Oil has also washed up on a nearby island that seabirds and turtles use as a nesting ground.

EXPAND

Fresh bread will soon be baking high above ground zero.

It can be used in manufacturing and to help bring up oil from the ground.

Oil has also washed up on a nearby island that seabirds and turtles use as a nesting ground.

The ground rumbles as if a large truck is driving by, and you sleep undisturbed.

In ground-based designs, fluid in tubes laid in the ground provides the heat transfer.

But once a year it turns into the world's highest polo ground.

Straightforward techniques for ground and air layering.

Amphibians are lured by a flesh-eating ground beetle larva to their doom.

Where little over a decade ago rainforest transpired under a vaporous haze, the ground has been cleared, raked and gouged.

Other species are ground squirrels that live in burrow or tunnel systems, where some hibernate during the winter season.

Cracks in this rock allow anything that's dumped on the ground to travel unfiltered to the bottom.

Unless being pursued by a predator, kori bustards rarely leave the ground.

Its fat content varies, but it's usually similar to that of ground beef chuck.

The arctic ground squirrel can lower its body temperature to that of a popsicle.

Turkey's membership negotiations have all but ground to a halt.

Well-meaning humans who find a chick on the ground may want to return the baby bird to the nest.

The pipes do not have to be buried, but can sit above ground.

In the instant before he dies, the man strains to lift himself from the ground with one elbow.

Cheeseburgers get a makeover with ground chicken and gourmet toppings.

Or perhaps cesium is migrating up through the soil from deeper in the ground.

But a few pilots and designers have been exploring ways to set down on solid ground without the aid of a chute.

Ice builds up on aircraft in two ways: in flight or on the ground.

We stop at a spot where nine timbers are embedded in the ground.

Useful as ground cover, bank planting and foreground shrub.

When the terrain is flat and the breeze is blowing, sometimes the best way to cover ground is to go fly a kite.

Despite the promise of cheap, clean power, geothermal energy development may be on shaky ground.

Aspdin heated a concoction of finely ground limestone and clay in his kitchen.

Colorful accent, ground cover, or low hedge add to my plant list.

Dry steam, the oldest geothermal technology, takes steam out of fractures in the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine.

Look how long it takes a tree to decompose lying on the ground.

The population size and location strike a perfect middle ground.

Shrub and ground cover roses need only shaping or light shearing.

Dig artificial grooves in the ground to retain rainfall and trap windblown seeds.

It took many other experimental results before special relativity gained ground.

We pick huge handfuls of figs from her tree each evening, and yet the ground is still splattered with surplus.

While they won't tolerate as much foot traffic as a lawn, a few low-growing ground covers can take some traffic.

But not many would recognize it in its green, succulent juvenile stage before it breaks from the ground to spread seeds.

She's studied how humans adapt their motor and cognitive skills in weightlessness and monitored astronauts from the ground.

Some elephant calls are so deep in pitch they shake the ground.

In warmest frost-free climates, often grown in the ground or in patio planters.

Video stills show a ground squirrel chewing on a rattlesnake's shed skin and then licking its body to apply the masticated mush.

If it is not then perhaps the synthetic fuel should be used at ground level and continue to use conventional fuel in the jets.

To use as ground or bank cover, prune out any stems that grow upright.

Lay the paper guide on the ground and push the poles' metal ends into the ground at the marks on the paper.

Kill established plants by regularly cutting to the ground any stems that have reached six inches tall.

It saves space by getting the crop to grow up rather than sprawling out in the ground.

The memorial plaza, with fountains among the largest ever created, is at the heart of ground zero.

Perhaps you think you don't need to go over this old ground again.

Coastal inhabitants can be educated to run to higher ground when they feel the.

Ground zero is no longer the depressing place it was a few years ago.

Trustees and professors, often at odds, search for common ground.

One way of doing this is by precisely measuring the shape of the ground above a volcano.

The moose likely got drunk eating apples fermenting on the ground and got stuck in the tree trying to get fresh fruit.

For best results, cut previous year's stems to ground in winter or early spring.

Art installations find fertile ground in science centers.

Coverage of education, including schools as well as colleges and universities, is increasingly thinner on the ground.

One thing that does ground old aircraft is the impending failure of their aluminium structure from metal fatigue.

Visitors to this area often enjoy digging for selenite crystals in the ground beneath the crusty layer of salt.

Rambling over the ground or spilling from containers, nasturtiums are carefree creepers with a range of flower colors.

Tracing her burger shows why eating ground beef is still a gamble.

Trustees are older, on average, and women and minorities have gained little ground.

For another, the wheels of justice ground more slowly than usual this time.

But the work raises concerns that the warming ground could lead to a buckling of the railway.

There was a little snow on the ground which added a dramatic appearance.

With ground covers on the roof, these easy-to-make feeders shelter the seed naturally.

My dad called this morning to tell me that my sister and brother-in-law's house burned to the ground last night.

Manufacturers of exercise machines point out, correctly, that running on firm ground imposes a higher impact on the body's.

Some creatures¿certain species of squirrels and lizards among them¿glide above the ground with the help of paired.

See how a couple turned bare ground into an airy pavilion for feasting.

Athletes and their families should set their own ground rules regarding phone calls from coaches.

There is so little intelligence about what is happening on the ground that it would be hard to distinguish friends from foes.

Plants lend a strong textural quality to borders and plantings under trees, make a bold ground cover.

Our faculty, students and alumni have a habit of breaking new ground.

The second is that the main objective is to control ground rather than people.

Biomechanics suggests that a giraffe-size pterosaur could have jumped from all fours to get off the ground.

Useful for edgings in shady places, as ground cover, and as soothing contrast to brightly colored flowers.

Cantor are shifting the ground of connection between the conventionally isolated halls of learning and the needs of.

They may make decisions to attack that a commander on the ground might not, treating warfare as a video game.

T railing, arching stems that root where they touch soil make these plants useful as ground and bank covers.

They were escorted to the ground by the campus police and immediately.

They are driving around a hole in the ground that is several hundred metres deep, several kilometres wide, and growing fast.

In exasperation he took off his own hat and flung it to the ground.

Go beyond the traditional ground beef with these super-tasty taco recipes.

For map creators, the hope is that those tools will help relief workers on the ground.

At this temperature, the paddle slipped into its quantum mechanical ground state.

The more stems you cut to the ground in winter or early spring, the more open and arching next year's growth will be.

Walton's ability to ground his work as an ethicist in a historical context.

Ground cover, shrubs and other flora planted across a building.

The speed over the ground will equal the height divided by the elapsed time.

Just pop it into the ground or a large pot and watch it race to the sky.

My guess is that a clock in the balloon would run slower than its companion on the ground.

Make your garden bed in the ground or in raised containers more.

For example, air near the ground becomes hotter than normal in summer.

Put ground meat through grinder once more and proceed with your recipe.

Previous attempts to generate global lightning maps relied on ground detectors.

In cooler areas, start them indoors in containers and set out when the ground warms in spring.

Thoroughly cover the branches, stems, and trunk as well as the ground beneath the tree.

Old, straggling plants can be rejuvenated by cutting close to the ground.

Among the best succulents for decorative effects, in pots or in the ground.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb

a simple past tense and past participle of grind.

adjective

reduced to fine particles or dust by grinding.

(of meat, vegetables, etc.) reduced to very small pieces by putting through a food processor or grinder: ground beef.

having the surface abraded or roughened by or as if by grinding, as in order to reduce its transparency: ground glass.

Origin:
1755–65 for def. 2; see ground¹

verb (used with object)

to wear, smooth, or sharpen by abrasion or friction; whet: to grind a lens.

to reduce to fine particles, as by pounding or crushing; bray, triturate, or pulverize.

to oppress, torment, or crush: to grind the poor.

to rub harshly or gratingly; grate together; grit: to grind one's teeth.

to operate by turning a crank: to grind a hand organ.

EXPAND

to produce by crushing or abrasion: to grind flour.

Slang. to annoy; irritate; irk: It really grinds me when he's late.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

to perform the operation of reducing to fine particles.

to rub harshly; grate.

10.

to be or become ground.

11.

to be polished or sharpened by friction.

12.

Informal. to work or study laboriously (often followed by away): He was grinding away at his algebra.

EXPAND

13.

Slang. (in a dance) to rotate the hips in a suggestive manner. Compare bump (def. 11).

COLLAPSE

noun

14.

the act of grinding.

15.

a grinding sound.

16.

a grade of particle fineness into which a substance is ground: The coffee is available in various grinds for different coffee makers.

17.

laborious, usually uninteresting work: Copying all the footnotes was a grind.

18.

Informal. an excessively diligent student.

EXPAND

19.

Slang. a dance movement in which the hips are rotated in a suggestive or erotic manner. Compare bump (def. 20).

COLLAPSE

Verb phrase

20.

grind out,

to produce in a routine or mechanical way: to grind out magazine stories.

to extinguish by rubbing the lighted end against a hard surface: to grind out a cigarette.

Origin:
before 950; Middle English grinden, Old English grindan; akin to Gothic grinda-, Latin frendere

Related forms

grind·a·ble, adjective

grind·a·bil·i·ty, noun

grind·ing·ly, adverb

re·grind, verb, -ground, -grind·ing.

un·grind·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms
2. crush, powder, comminute, pound. 3. persecute, plague, afflict, trouble. 4. abrade.

Link To ground

Collins

World English Dictionary

ground¹ (ɡraʊnd)

—n
1.	the land surface
2.	earth or soil: he dug into the ground outside his house
3.	(plural) the land around a dwelling house or other building
4.	(sometimes plural) an area of land given over to a purpose: football ground; burial grounds
5.	land having a particular characteristic: level ground; high ground
6.	matter for consideration or debate; field of research or inquiry: the lecture was familiar ground to him; the report covered a lot of ground
7.	a position or viewpoint, as in an argument or controversy (esp in the phrases give ground, hold, stand,orshift one's ground)
8.	position or advantage, as in a subject or competition (esp in the phrases gain ground, lose ground, etc)
9.	(often plural) reason; justification: grounds for complaint
10.	arts
	a. the prepared surface applied to the support of a painting, such as a wall, canvas, etc, to prevent it reacting with or absorbing the paint
	b. the support of a painting
	c. the background of a painting or main surface against which the other parts of a work of art appear superimposed
11.	a. the first coat of paint applied to a surface
	b. (as modifier): ground colour
12.	the bottom of a river or the sea
13.	(plural) sediment or dregs, esp from coffee
14.	chiefly (Brit) the floor of a room
15.	cricket
	a. the area from the popping crease back past the stumps, in which a batsman may legally stand
	b. ground staff
16.	See ground bass
17.	a mesh or network supporting the main pattern of a piece of lace
18.	(US), (Canadian) electrical
	a. a connection between an electrical circuit or device and the earth, which is at zero potential
	b. Also called: earth a terminal to which this connection is made
19.	above ground alive
20.	below ground dead and buried
21.	break new ground to do something that has not been done before
22.	cut the ground from under someone's feet to anticipate someone's action or argument and thus make it irrelevant or meaningless
23.	informal (Brit) to the ground, down to the ground completely; absolutely: it suited him down to the ground
24.	informal get off the ground to make a beginning, esp one that is successful
25.	go to ground to go into hiding
26.	into the ground beyond what is requisite or can be endured; to exhaustion
27.	meet someone on his own ground to meet someone according to terms he has laid down himself
28.	the high ground, the moral high ground a position of moral or ethical superiority in a dispute
29.	touch ground
	a. (of a ship) to strike the sea bed
	b. to arrive at something solid or stable after discussing or dealing with topics that are abstract or inconclusive
30.	(modifier) situated on, living on, or used on the ground: ground frost; ground forces
31.	(modifier) concerned with or operating on the ground, esp as distinct from in the air: ground crew; ground hostess
32.	(modifier) (used in names of plants) low-growing and often trailing or spreading

—vb
33.	(tr) to put or place on the ground
34.	(tr) to instruct in fundamentals
35.	(tr) to provide a basis or foundation for; establish
36.	(tr) to confine (an aircraft, pilot, etc) to the ground
37.	informal (tr) to confine (a child) to the house as a punishment
38.	the usual US word for earth
39.	(tr) nautical to run (a vessel) aground
40.	(tr) to cover (a surface) with a preparatory coat of paint
41.	(intr) to hit or reach the ground

[Old English grund; related to Old Norse grunn shallow, grunnr, grund plain, Old High German grunt]

ground² (ɡraʊnd)

—vb
1.	the past tense and past participle of grind

—*adj*
2.	having the surface finished, thickness reduced, or an edge sharpened by grinding
3.	reduced to fine particles by grinding

ground bass or ground (beɪs)

—n
	music a short melodic bass line that is repeated over and over again

ground or ground

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

grind

O.E. grindan, forgrindan "destroy by crushing" (class III strong verb; past tense grand, pp. grunden), from P.Gmc. *grindanan (cf. Du. grenden), related to ground, from PIE *ghrendh- "crushing" (cf. L. frendere "to gnash the teeth," Gk. khondros "corn, grain," Lith. grendu "to scrape, scratch"). The

EXPAND

noun sense "steady, hard work" first recorded 1851 in college student slang; the meaning "hard-working student" is Amer.Eng. slang from 1864. Grinder as a type of large sandwich is first recorded 1954. To keep one's nose to the grindstone was originally to get control of another and treat him harshly:

"This Text holdeth their noses so hard to the grindstone, that it clean disfigureth their Faces." [Frith, "Mirror to know Thyself," 1532]

The main modern (reflective) sense of "work hard" is from 1828.

ground

O.E. grund "foundation, ground, surface of the earth," especially "bottom of the sea" (a sense preserved in run aground), from P.Gmc. *grundus, which seems to have meant "deep place" (cf. O.Fris. grund, Du. grond, Ger. Grund "ground, soil, bottom;" O.N. grunn "a shallow place, grund "field, plain," grunnr

"bottom"). No known cognates outside Gmc. Sense of "reason, motive" first attested c.1200; electrical sense is from 1870. Grounds "residue at the bottom of a liquid" (mid-14c.) is perhaps from past tense of grind (q.v.). Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1931). Ground-hog is attested from 1784; Ground Hog Day first recorded 1871, Amer.Eng. Groundwork (c.1550) is originally "the solid base on which a structure is built;" fig. sense is from 1550s. Groundling "theater patron in the pit" is from c.1600, from the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

ground (ground) Pronunciation Key

A connection between an electrical conductor and the Earth. Grounds are used to establish a common zero-voltage reference for electric devices in order to prevent potentially dangerous voltages from arising between them and other objects. Also called earth.
The set of shared points in an electrical circuit at which the measured voltage is taken to be zero. The ground is usually connected directly to the power supply and acts as a common "sink" for current flowing through the components in the circuit.

Slang Dictionary

grind definition

in.
to sell drugs. : He told the cops he wasn't grinding, but they found his junk.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

ground

In addition to the idioms beginning with ground, also see both feet on the ground; break ground; common ground; cover ground; cover the field (ground); cut the ground from under; down to the ground; ear to the ground; from the ground up; gain ground; get off the ground; give ground; happy hunting ground; hit the ground running; lose ground; on one's home ground; run into the ground; run to earth (ground); stamping ground; stand one's ground; worship the ground someone walks on.