26984 words

ground

35 definitions • 47 examples
1
the surface of the earth:

Examples:

I sat down on the ground.
2
soil:

Examples:

soft/stony ground
The ground was frozen hard and was impossible to dig.
3
an area of land used for a particular purpose or activity:

Examples:

a football ground
The lake has become a dumping ground for toxic chemicals.
skills learnt on the training ground (= place where sports teams practise)
4
the gardens and land that surround a building and often have a wall or fence around them:

Examples:

We went for a walk around the hospital grounds.
5
a reason, cause, or argument:

Examples:

on the grounds of The inquiry will be held in secret on the grounds of national security.
ground for Do you have any ground for suspecting them?
[ + to infinitive ] We have grounds to believe that you have been lying to us.
[ + that ] He refused to answer on the grounds that the question violated his rights to privacy.
6

Examples:

familiar ground When the conversation turns to politics he's on familiar ground (= he knows a lot about this subject).
common ground Once we'd found some common ground (= things we both knew about) we got along very well together.
cover ground The lectures covered a lot of ground (= included information on many different subjects).
go over ground I enjoyed her first novel, but I felt in the second she was going over the same ground (= dealing with the same area of experience).
7
If a political party or an idea or belief gains ground, it becomes more popular or accepted:

Examples:

The Republicans are gaining ground in the southern states.
8
If a political party or an idea or belief loses ground, it becomes less popular or accepted:

Examples:

9
a wire that makes a connection between a piece of electrical equipment and the ground, so the user is protected from feeling an electric shock if the equipment develops a fault
10
the small grains of coffee left at the bottom of a cup or other container that has had coffee in it:

Examples:

A lot of coffee shops give away grounds for use in compost.
11
past simple and past participle of
12
If a ship is grounded, it cannot move because it has hit solid ground:

Examples:

be grounded on The oil tanker was grounded on a sandbank.
13
If aircraft are grounded, they are prevented from flying or ordered not to fly:

Examples:

The snowstorm meant that all planes were grounded.
14
to forbid (= refuse to allow) a child or young person from going out as a punishment:

Examples:

My parents grounded me for a week.
15
to connect a piece of electrical equipment to the ground with a wire:

Examples:

You could get a nasty shock from that water heater if it isn't grounded properly.
16
to be based firmly on something:

Examples:

Fiction should be grounded in reality.
17
Ground food has been cut up into very small pieces, often using a special machine:

Examples:

ground turkey
ground sirloin
18
past simple and past participle of grind
19
the surface of the earth or of a piece of land:

Examples:

We laid a blanket on the ground for our picnic.
20

Examples:

This teacher just keeps going over the same ground again and again.
21
a reason, cause, or argument:

Examples:

[ + that clause ] He refused to answer on the grounds that he’d promised to keep it secret.
22
a connection between a piece of electrical equipment and the earth, or a wire that makes this connection
23
A ground is also an object that holds a very large number of electrons, and can accept or supply more when there is an electric current.
24
to punish an older child by not allowing the child to go out or be involved in social activities:

Examples:

My parents grounded me for a week.
25
to have a reason, cause, or argument for your actions or beliefs:

Examples:

His beliefs are grounded in his experience.
26
to put or keep on the ground:

Examples:

All flights have been grounded because of the snowstorm.
27
a reason for something:

Examples:

on the grounds that Researchers shut down the trial on the grounds that the vaccine was proving ineffective
grounds for sth Only 13 of the contracts examined listed incompetence as legitimate grounds for dismissal.
28
to make someone work very hard, especially so that they become ill or extremely tired:

Examples:

Although we worked everyone into the ground, we didn't get the job done in time.
They were running themselves into the ground.
29
to use something so much that it breaks or stops working:

Examples:

They decided to run the car into the ground instead of changing it.
30
to become more popular or successful:

Examples:

Despite making ground within her own party, she still has to watch her back.
gain/make ground on sb The search engine is continuing to gain ground on the market leader.
31
to increase in value:

Examples:

The shares have steadily made ground.
gain/make ground against sth The Euro continued to gain ground against the pound and the dollar through the course of the week.
32
if a project or activity gets off the ground, it starts or starts to be successful:

Examples:

There is a difference between a project which never gets off the ground and one which suddenly goes bad.
33
to start a project or activity or to start making it successful:

Examples:

A lot more money will be required to get this project off the ground.
34

Examples:

Smaller parties always lose ground in elections.
give/lose ground to sb The firm is continuing to give ground to its foreign rivals.
35
to prevent a ship or aircraft from sailing or flying:

Examples:

The bad weather meant that helicopters were grounded.

Navigation