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grounds

 - 6 dictionary results

ground

1  [ground]
Use grounds in a Sentence
–noun
1. the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground.
2. earth or soil: stony ground.
3. land having an indicated character: rising ground.
4. Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground.
5. Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal.
6. subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.
7. rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground.
8. the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.
9. Fine Arts.
a. 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.
b. 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. a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.
b. a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.
–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.
–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.
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, esp. the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.
–verb (used without object)
33. to come to or strike the ground.
34. Baseball.
a. to hit a ground ball.
b. 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,
a. to plow.
b. to begin excavation for a construction project.
c. to begin upon or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.
37. cover ground,
a. to pass or travel over a certain area.
b. 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,
a. gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.
b. extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.
40. gain ground,
a. to make progress; advance.
b. to gain approval or acceptance: The case for air-pollution control is gaining ground throughout the country.
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 or 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,
a. to retreat or be forced back.
b. to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.
c. 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,
a. into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.
b. into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME grownd, grund, OE grund; c. D grond, G Grund; (v.) ME grundien, grownden to set on a foundation, establish, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
ground⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ground⋅a⋅bly, adverb
ground⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
ground⋅ed⋅ness, noun
groundward, groundwards, adverb, adjective

ground

2  [ground]
–verb
1. a pt. and pp. of grind.
–adjective
2. reduced to fine particles or dust by grinding.
3. (of meat, vegetables, etc.) reduced to very small pieces by putting through a food processor or grinder: ground beef.
4. 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 ground 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To grounds
ground 1   (ground)   
n.  

    1. The solid surface of the earth.

    2. The floor of a body of water, especially the sea.

    3. A large conducting body, such as the earth or an electric circuit connected to the earth, used as an arbitrary zero of potential.

    4. A conducting object, such as a wire, that is connected to such a position of zero potential.

  2. Soil; earth: level the ground for a lawn.

  3. An area of land designated for a particular purpose. Often used in the plural: a burial ground; parade grounds.

  4. The land surrounding or forming part of a house or another building. Often used in the plural: a guesthouse on the grounds of the mansion.

  5. An area or a position that is contested in or as if in battle: The soldiers held their ground against the enemy. Character witnesses helped the defendant stand her ground in the trial.

  6. Something that serves as a foundation or means of attachment for something else: a ground of white paint under the mural.

  7. A surrounding area; a background.

  8. The foundation for an argument, a belief, or an action; a basis. Often used in the plural.

  9. The underlying condition prompting an action; a cause. Often used in the plural: grounds for suspicion; a ground for divorce. See Synonyms at base1.

  10. An area of reference or discussion; a subject: The professor covered new ground in every lecture.

  11. grounds The sediment at or from the bottom of a liquid: coffee grounds.

  12. Electricity

    1. A large conducting body, such as the earth or an electric circuit connected to the earth, used as an arbitrary zero of potential.

    2. A conducting object, such as a wire, that is connected to such a position of zero potential.

v.   ground·ed, ground·ing, grounds

v.   tr.

  1. To place on or cause to touch the ground.

  2. To provide a basis for (a theory, for example); justify.

  3. To supply with basic information; instruct in fundamentals.

    1. To prevent (an aircraft or a pilot) from flying.

    2. Informal To restrict (someone) especially to a certain place as a punishment.

    3. Baseball To hit (a ball) onto the ground.

    4. Football To throw (a ball) to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

  5. Electricity To connect (an electric circuit) to a ground.

  6. Nautical To run (a vessel) aground.

    1. Baseball To hit (a ball) onto the ground.

    2. Football To throw (a ball) to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

v.   intr.

  1. To touch or reach the ground.

  2. Baseball To hit a ground ball: grounded to the second baseman.

  3. Nautical To run aground.

Phrasal Verb(s):
ground out Baseball To be put out by hitting a ground ball that is fielded and thrown to first base.

Idiom(s):
drive/run into the groundTo belabor (an issue or a subject).

Idiom(s):
from the ground upFrom the most basic level to the highest level; completely: designed the house from the ground up; learned the family business from the ground up.

Idiom(s):
off the groundUnder way, as if in flight: Because of legal difficulties, the construction project never got off the ground.

Idiom(s):
on (one's) own groundIn a situation where one has knowledge or competence: a sculptor back on her own ground after experiments with painting.

Idiom(s):
on the groundAt a place that is exciting, interesting, or important.

Idiom(s):
to ground

  1. Into a den or burrow: a fox going to ground.

  2. Into hiding.


[Middle English, from Old English grund.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

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.1205; electrical sense is from 1870. Grounds "residue at the bottom of a liquid" (1340) 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 (1550) is originally "the solid base on which a structure is built;" fig. sense is from 1557. Groundling "theater patron in the pit" is from 1602, from the beginning emblematic of bad or unsophisticated taste.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ground
Function: transitive verb
: to furnish a ground for : set on a basis grounded the disclosure requirement in negligence law —Scott v. Bradford, 606 Pacific Reporter, Second Series 554 (1979)> grounded on erroneous assumptions>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ground
past and past participle of GRIND
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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