Adjacent Words

Ground definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GROUND, n.
1. The surface of land or upper part of the earth, without reference to the materials which compose it. We apply ground to soil,sand or gravel indifferently, but never apply it to the whole mass of the earth or globe, nor to any portion of it when removed. We never say a shovel full or a load of ground. We say under ground, but not under earth; and we speak of the globe as divided into land and water, not into ground and water. Yet ground, earth and land are often used synonymously. We say, the produce or fruits of the ground, of the earth, or of land. The water overflows the low ground, or the low land.
There was not a man to till the ground. Genesis 2.
The ground shall give its increase. Zechariah 8.
The fire ran along on the ground. Exodus 9.
2. Region; territory; as Egyptian ground; British ground; heavenly ground.
3. Land; estate; possession.
Thy next design is on thy neighbor's grounds.
4. The surface of the earth, or a floor or pavement.
Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground. 2 Samuel 5.
5. Foundation; that which supports any thing. This argument stands on defensible ground. Hence,
6. Fundamental cause; primary reason or original principle. He stated the grounds of his complaint.
Making happiness the ground of his unhappiness.
7. First principles; as the grounds of religion.
8. In painting, the surface on which a figure or object is represented; that surface or substance which retains the original color, and to which the other colors are applied to make the representation; as crimson on a white ground.
9. In manufactures, the principal color, to which others are considered as ornamental.
10. Grounds, plural, the bottom of liquors; dregs; lees; feces; as coffee grounds; the grounds of strong beer.
11. The plain song; the tune on which descants are raised.
On that ground, I'll build a holy descant.
12. In etching, a gummous composition spread over the surface of the metal to be etched, to prevent the nitric acid from eating, except where the ground is opened with the point of a needle.
13. Field or place of action. He fought with fury, and would not quit the ground.
14. In music, the name given to a composition in which the base, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a continually varying melody.
15. The foil to set a thing off.
16. Formerly, the pit of a play house.
To gain ground, to advance; to proceed forward in conflict; as, an army in battle gains ground. Hence, to obtain an advantage; to have some success; as, the army gains ground on the enemy. Hence,
1. To gain credit; to prevail; to become more general or extensive; as,the opinion gains ground.
To lose ground, to retire; to retreat; to withdraw from the position taken. Hence, to lose advantage. Hence,
1. To lose credit; to decline; to become less in force or extent.
To give ground, to recede; to yield advantage.
get ground, and to gather ground, are seldom used.
GROUND, v.t. To lay or set on the ground.
1. To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, cause, reason or principle; as arguments grounded on reason; faith grounded on scriptural evidence.
2. To settle in first principles; to fix firmly.
Being rooted and grounded in love Ephesians 3.
GROUND, v.i. To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed; as, the ship grounded in two fathoms of water.
GROUND, pret. and pp. of grind.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground" [syn: land, dry land, earth, ground, solid ground, terra firma]
2: a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration" [syn: reason, ground]
3: the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church" [syn: earth, ground]
4: a relation that provides the foundation for something; "they were on a friendly footing"; "he worked on an interim basis" [syn: footing, basis, ground]
5: a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle); "they gained ground step by step"; "they fought to regain the lost ground"
6: the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground; "he posed her against a background of rolling hills" [syn: background, ground]
7: material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good agricultural soil" [syn: land, ground, soil]
8: a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused [ant: figure]
9: a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage) [syn: ground, earth]
10: (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
11: the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface [syn: flat coat, ground, primer, priming, primer coat, priming coat, undercoat] v
1: fix firmly and stably; "anchor the lamppost in concrete" [syn: anchor, ground]
2: confine or restrict to the ground; "After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot"
3: place or put on the ground
4: instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
5: bring to the ground; "the storm grounded the ship" [syn: ground, strand, run aground]
6: hit or reach the ground [syn: ground, run aground]
7: throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
8: hit a groundball; "he grounded to the second baseman"
9: hit onto the ground
10: cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn: prime, ground, undercoat]
11: connect to a ground; "ground the electrical connections for safety reasons"
12: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some observation" [syn: establish, base, ground, found]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English grund; akin to Old High German grunt ground Date: before 12th century 1. a. the bottom of a body of water b. plural (1) sediment 1 (2) ground coffee beans after brewing 2. a. a basis for belief, action, or argument <ground for complaint> — often used in plural <sufficient grounds for divorce> b. (1) a fundamental logical condition (2) a basic metaphysical cause 3. a. a surrounding area ; background b. material that serves as a substratum 4. a. the surface of the earth b. an area used for a particular purpose <the parade ground> <fishing grounds> c. plural the area around and belonging to a house or other building d. an area to be won or defended in or as if in battle e. an area of knowledge or special interest <covered a lot of ground in his lecture> 5. a. soil, earth b. a special soil 6. a. an object that makes an electrical connection with the earth b. a large conducting body (as the earth) used as a common return for an electric circuit and as an arbitrary zero of potential c. electric connection with a ground 7. a football offense utilizing primarily running plays II. verb Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. to bring to or place on the ground b. to cause to run aground 2. a. to provide a reason or justification for <our fears about technological change may be well grounded — L. K. Williams> b. to furnish with a foundation of knowledge ; base <an understanding…that is grounded in fact — Michael Kimmelman> 3. to connect electrically with a ground 4. a. to restrict to the ground <ground a pilot> b. to prohibit from taking part in some usual activities <grounded her for a week> 5. to throw (a football) intentionally to the ground to avoid being tackled for a loss intransitive verb 1. to have a ground or basis ; rely 2. to run aground 3. to hit a grounder <grounded back to the pitcher> III. past and past participle of grind

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a the surface of the earth, esp. as contrasted with the air around it. b a part of this specified in some way (low ground). 2 the substance of the earth's surface; soil, earth (stony ground; dug deep into the ground). 3 a a position, area, or distance on the earth's surface. b the extent of activity etc. achieved or of a subject dealt with (the book covers a lot of ground). 4 (often in pl.) a foundation, motive, or reason (there is ground for concern; there are grounds for believing; excused on the grounds of ill-health). 5 an area of a special kind or designated for special use (often in comb.: cricket-ground; fishing-grounds). 6 (in pl.) an area of usu. enclosed land attached to a house etc. 7 an area or basis for consideration, agreement, etc. (common ground; on firm ground). 8 a (in painting) the prepared surface giving the predominant colour or tone. b (in embroidery, ceramics, etc.) the undecorated surface. 9 (in full ground bass) Mus. a short theme in the bass constantly repeated with the upper parts of the music varied. 10 (in pl.) solid particles, esp. of coffee, forming a residue. 11 Electr. = EARTH. 12 the bottom of the sea (the ship touched ground). 13 Brit. the floor of a room etc. 14 a piece of wood fixed to a wall as a base for boards, plaster, or joinery. 15 (attrib.) a (of animals) living on or in the ground; (of fish) living at the bottom of water; (of plants) dwarfish or trailing. b relating to or concerned with the ground (ground staff). --v. 1 tr. refuse authority for (a pilot or an aircraft) to fly. 2 a tr. run (a ship) aground; strand. b intr. (of a ship) run aground. 3 tr. (foll. by in) instruct thoroughly (in a subject). 4 tr. (often as grounded adj.) (foll. by on) base (a principle, conclusion, etc.) on. 5 tr. Electr. = EARTH v. 6 intr. alight on the ground. 7 tr. place or lay (esp. weapons) on the ground. Phrases and idioms: break new (or fresh) ground treat a subject previously not dealt with. cut the ground from under a person's feet anticipate and pre-empt a person's arguments, plans, etc. down to the ground Brit. colloq. thoroughly; in every respect. fall to the ground (of a plan etc.) fail. gain (or make) ground 1 advance steadily; make progress. 2 (foll. by on) catch (a person) up. get in on the ground floor become part of an enterprise in its early stages. get off the ground colloq. make a successful start. give (or lose) ground 1 retreat, decline. 2 lose the advantage or one's position in an argument, contest, etc. go to ground 1 (of a fox etc.) enter its earth or burrow etc. 2 (of a person) become inaccessible for a prolonged period. ground-bait bait thrown to the bottom of a fishing-ground. ground control the personnel directing the landing etc. of aircraft or spacecraft. ground cover plants covering the surface of the earth, esp. low-growing spreading plants that inhibit the growth of weeds. ground elder a garden weed, Aegopodium podagraria, spreading by means of underground stems. ground floor the floor of a building at ground level. ground frost frost on the surface of the ground or in the top layer of soil. ground level 1 the level of the ground; the ground floor. 2 Physics the lowest energy state of an atom etc. ground-plan 1 the plan of a building at ground level. 2 the general outline of a scheme. ground-rent rent for land leased for building. ground rule a basic principle. ground speed an aircraft's speed relative to the ground. ground-squirrel 1 a squirrel-like rodent, e.g. a chipmunk, gopher, etc. 2 any squirrel of the genus Spermophilus living in burrows. ground staff the non-flying personnel of an airport or airbase. ground state Physics = ground level 2. ground stroke Tennis a stroke played near the ground after the ball has bounced. ground swell 1 a heavy sea caused by a distant or past storm or an earthquake. 2 an increasingly forceful presence (esp. of public opinion). ground zero the point on the ground under an exploding (usu. nuclear) bomb. hold one's ground not retreat or give way. on the ground at the point of production or operation; in practical conditions. on one's own ground on one's own territory or subject; on one's own terms. thin on the ground not numerous. work (or run etc.) oneself into the ground colloq. work etc. to the point of exhaustion. Derivatives: grounder n. Etymology: OE grund f. Gmc 2. past and past part. of GRIND.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Debatable De*bat"a*ble, a. [Cf. OF. debatable. See Debate.] Liable to be debated; disputable; subject to controversy or contention; open to question or dispute; as, a debatable question. The Debatable Land or Ground, a tract of land between the Esk and the Sark, claimed by both England and Scotland; the Batable Ground.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grind Grind, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ground; p. pr. & vb. n. Grinding.] [AS. grindan; perh. akin to L. frendere to gnash, grind. Cf. Grist.] 1. To reduce to powder by friction, as in a mill, or with the teeth; to crush into small fragments; to produce as by the action of millstones. Take the millstones, and grind meal. --Is. xivii. 2. 2. To wear down, polish, or sharpen, by friction; to make smooth, sharp, or pointed; to whet, as a knife or drill; to rub against one another, as teeth, etc. 3. To oppress by severe exactions; to harass. To grind the subject or defraud the prince. --Dryden. 4. To study hard for examination. [College Slang]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ground Ground (ground), n. [OE. ground, grund, AS. grund; akin to D. grond, OS., G., Sw., & Dan. grund, Icel. grunnr bottom, Goth. grundus (in composition); perh. orig. meaning, dust, gravel, and if so perh. akin to E. grind.] 1. The surface of the earth; the outer crust of the globe, or some indefinite portion of it. There was not a man to till the ground. --Gen. ii. 5. The fire ran along upon the ground. --Ex. ix. 23. Hence: A floor or pavement supposed to rest upon the earth. 2. Any definite portion of the earth's surface; region; territory; country. Hence: A territory appropriated to, or resorted to, for a particular purpose; the field or place of action; as, a hunting or fishing ground; a play ground. From . . . old Euphrates, to the brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground. --Milton. 3. Land; estate; possession; field; esp. (pl.), the gardens, lawns, fields, etc., belonging to a homestead; as, the grounds of the estate are well kept. Thy next design is on thy neighbor's grounds. --Dryden. 4. 4. The basis on which anything rests; foundation. Hence: The foundation of knowledge, belief, or conviction; a premise, reason, or datum; ultimate or first principle; cause of existence or occurrence; originating force or agency; as, the ground of my hope. 5. (Paint. & Decorative Art) (a) That surface upon which the figures of a composition are set, and which relieves them by its plainness, being either of one tint or of tints but slightly contrasted with one another; as, crimson Bowers on a white ground. See Background, Foreground, and Middle-ground. (b) In sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief. (c) In point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied; as, Brussels ground. See Brussels lace, under Brussels. 6. (Etching) A gummy composition spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle. 7. (Arch.) One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which moldings, etc., are attached; -- usually in the plural. Note: Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering floated flush with them. 8. (Mus.) (a) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody. (b) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song. --Moore (Encyc.). On that ground I'll build a holy descant. --Shak. 9. (Elec.) A conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electrical circuit. 10. pl. Sediment at the bottom of liquors or liquids; dregs; lees; feces; as, coffee grounds. 11. The pit of a theater. [Obs.] --B. Jonson. Ground angling, angling with a weighted line without a float. Ground annual (Scots Law), an estate created in land by a vassal who instead of selling his land outright reserves an annual ground rent, which becomes a perpetual charge upon the land. Ground ash. (Bot.) See Groutweed. Ground bailiff (Mining), a superintendent of mines. --Simmonds. Ground bait, bits of bread, boiled barley or worms, etc., thrown into the water to collect the fish, --Wallon. Ground bass or base (Mus.), fundamental base; a fundamental base continually repeated to a varied melody. Ground beetle (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of carnivorous beetles of the family Carabid[ae], living mostly in burrows or under stones, etc. Ground chamber, a room on the ground floor. Ground cherry. (Bot.) (a) A genus (Physalis) of herbaceous plants having an inflated calyx for a seed pod: esp., the strawberry tomato (P. Alkekengi). See Alkekengl. (b) A European shrub (Prunus Cham[ae]cerasus), with small, very acid fruit. Ground cuckoo. (Zo["o]l.) See Chaparral cock. Ground cypress. (Bot.) See Lavender cotton. Ground dove (Zo["o]l.), one of several small American pigeons of the genus Columbigallina, esp. C. passerina of the Southern United States, Mexico, etc. They live chiefly on the ground. Ground fish (Zo["o]l.), any fish which constantly lives on the botton of the sea, as the sole, turbot, halibut. Ground floor, the floor of a house most nearly on a level with the ground; -- called also in America, but not in England, the first floor. Ground form (Gram.), the stem or basis of a word, to which the other parts are added in declension or conjugation. It is sometimes, but not always, the same as the root.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ground furze (Bot.), a low slightly thorny, leguminous shrub (Ononis arvensis) of Europe and Central Asia,; -- called also rest-harrow. Ground game, hares, rabbits, etc., as distinguished from winged game. Ground hele (Bot.), a perennial herb (Veronica officinalis) with small blue flowers, common in Europe and America, formerly thought to have curative properties. Ground of the heavens (Astron.), the surface of any part of the celestial sphere upon which the stars may be regarded as projected. Ground hemlock (Bot.), the yew (Taxus baccata var. Canadensisi) of eastern North America, distinguished from that of Europe by its low, straggling stems. Ground hog. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The woodchuck or American marmot (Arctomys monax). See Woodchuck. (b) The aardvark. Ground hold (Naut.), ground tackle. [Obs.] --Spenser. Ground ice, ice formed at the bottom of a body of water before it forms on the surface. Ground ivy. (Bot.) A trailing plant; alehoof. See Gill. Ground joist, a joist for a basement or ground floor; a. sleeper. Ground lark (Zo["o]l.), the European pipit. See Pipit. Ground laurel (Bot.). See Trailing arbutus, under Arbutus. Ground line (Descriptive Geom.), the line of intersection of the horizontal and vertical planes of projection. Ground liverwort (Bot.), a flowerless plant with a broad flat forking thallus and the fruit raised on peduncled and radiated receptacles (Marchantia polymorpha). Ground mail, in Scotland, the fee paid for interment in a churchyard. Ground mass (Geol.), the fine-grained or glassy base of a rock, in which distinct crystals of its constituents are embedded. Ground parrakeet (Zo["o]l.), one of several Australian parrakeets, of the genera Callipsittacus and Geopsittacus, which live mainly upon the ground. Ground pearl (Zo["o]l.), an insect of the family Coccid[ae] (Margarodes formicarum), found in ants' nests in the Bahamas, and having a shelly covering. They are strung like beads, and made into necklaces by the natives. Ground pig (Zo["o]l.), a large, burrowing, African rodent (Aulacodus Swinderianus) about two feet long, allied to the porcupines but with harsh, bristly hair, and no spines; -- called also ground rat. Ground pigeon (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of pigeons which live largely upon the ground, as the tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), of the Samoan Islands, and the crowned pigeon, or goura. See Goura, and Ground dove (above). Ground pine. (Bot.) (a) A blue-flowered herb of the genus Ajuga (A. Cham[ae]pitys), formerly included in the genus Teucrium or germander, and named from its resinous smell. --Sir J. Hill. (b) A long, creeping, evergreen plant of the genus Lycopodium (L. clavatum); -- called also club moss. (c) A tree-shaped evergreen plant about eight inches in height, of the same genus (L. dendroideum) found in moist, dark woods in the northern part of the United States. --Gray. Ground plan (Arch.), a plan of the ground floor of any building, or of any floor, as distinguished from an elevation or perpendicular section. Ground plane, the horizontal plane of projection in perspective drawing. Ground plate. (a) (Arch.) One of the chief pieces of framing of a building; a timber laid horizontally on or near the ground to support the uprights; a ground sill or groundsel. (b) (Railroads) A bed plate for sleepers or ties; a mudsill. (c) (Teleg.) A metallic plate buried in the earth to conduct the electric current thereto. Connection to the pipes of a gas or water main is usual in cities. --Knight. Ground plot, the ground upon which any structure is erected; hence, any basis or foundation; also, a ground plan. Ground plum (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Astragalus caryocarpus) occurring from the Saskatchewan to Texas, and having a succulent plum-shaped pod. Ground rat. (Zo["o]l.) See Ground pig (above). Ground rent, rent paid for the privilege of building on another man's land. Ground robin. (Zo["o]l.) See Chewink. Ground room, a room on the ground floor; a lower room. --Tatler. Ground sea, the West Indian name for a swell of the ocean, which occurs in calm weather and without obvious cause, breaking on the shore in heavy roaring billows; -- called also rollers, and in Jamaica, the North sea. Ground sill. See Ground plate (a) (above). Ground snake (Zo["o]l.), a small burrowing American snake (Celuta am[oe]na). It is salmon colored, and has a blunt tail. Ground squirrel. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of numerous species of burrowing rodents of the genera Tamias and Spermophilus, having cheek pouches. The former genus includes the Eastern striped squirrel or chipmunk and some allied Western species; the latter includes the prairie squirrel or striped gopher, the gray gopher, and many allied Western species. See Chipmunk, and Gopher. (b) Any species of the African genus Xerus, allied to Tamias. Ground story. Same as Ground floor (above). Ground substance (Anat.), the intercellular substance, or matrix, of tissues. Ground swell. (a) (Bot.) The plant groundsel. [Obs.] --Holland. (b) A broad, deep swell or undulation of the ocean, caused by a long continued gale, and felt even at a remote distance after the gale has ceased. Ground table. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth. Ground tackle (Naut.), the tackle necessary to secure a vessel at anchor. --Totten. Ground thrush (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of bright-colored Oriental birds of the family Pittid[ae]. See Pitta. Ground tier. (a) The lowest tier of water casks in a vessel's hold. --Totten. (b) The lowest line of articles of any kind stowed in a vessel's hold. (c) The lowest range of boxes in a theater. Ground timbers (Shipbuilding) the timbers which lie on the keel and are bolted to the keelson; floor timbers. --Knight. Ground tit. (Zo["o]l.) See Ground wren (below). Ground wheel, that wheel of a harvester, mowing machine, etc., which, rolling on the ground, drives the mechanism. Ground wren (Zo["o]l.), a small California bird (Cham[ae]a fasciata) allied to the wrens and titmice. It inhabits the arid plains. Called also ground tit, and wren tit. To bite the ground, To break ground. See under Bite, Break. To come to the ground, To fall to the ground, to come to nothing; to fail; to miscarry. To gain ground. (a) To advance; to proceed forward in conflict; as, an army in battle gains ground. (b) To obtain an advantage; to have some success; as, the army gains ground on the enemy. (c) To gain credit; to become more prosperous or influential. To get, or To gather, ground, to gain ground. [R.] ``Evening mist . . . gathers ground fast.'' --Milton. There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground of them, but by bidding higher. --South. To give ground, to recede; to yield advantage. These nine . . . began to give me ground. --Shak. To lose ground, to retire; to retreat; to withdraw from the position taken; hence, to lose advantage; to lose credit or reputation; to decline. To stand one's ground, to stand firm; to resist attack or encroachment. --Atterbury. To take the ground to touch bottom or become stranded; -- said of a ship.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ground Ground (ground), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Grounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Grounding.] 1. To lay, set, or run, on the ground. 2. To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly. Being rooted and grounded in love. --Eph. iii. 17. So far from warranting any inference to the existence of a God, would, on the contrary, ground even an argument to his negation. --Sir W. Hamilton 3. To instruct in elements or first principles. 4. (Elec.) To connect with the ground so as to make the earth a part of an electrical circuit. 5. (Fine Arts) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching (see Ground, n., 5); or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ground Ground, v. i. To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed; as, the ship grounded on the bar.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ground Ground, imp. & p. p. of Grind. Ground cock, a cock, the plug of which is ground into its seat, as distinguished from a compression cock. --Knight. Ground glass, glass the transparency of which has been destroyed by having its surface roughened by grinding. Ground joint, a close joint made by grinding together two pieces, as of metal with emery and oil, or of glass with fine sand and water.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(grounds, grounding, grounded) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. The ground is the surface of the earth. Forty or fifty women were sitting cross-legged on the ground... We slid down the roof and dropped to the ground. N-SING: the N • Something that is below ground is under the earth's surface or under a building. Something that is above ground is on top of the earth's surface. People were making for the air-raid shelters below ground. PHRASE 2. If you say that something takes place on the ground, you mean it takes place on the surface of the earth and not in the air. Coordinating airline traffic on the ground is as complicated as managing the traffic in the air. N-SING: oft N n 3. The ground is the soil and rock on the earth's surface. The ground had eroded. ...the marshy ground of the river delta. N-SING: usu the N 4. You can refer to land as ground, especially when it has very few buildings or when it is considered to be special in some way. ...a stretch of waste ground... This memorial stands on sacred ground. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 5. You can use ground to refer to an area of land, sea, or air which is used for a particular activity. ...Indian hunting grounds... The best fishing grounds are around the islands. N-COUNT: supp N 6. A ground is an area of land which is specially designed and made for playing sport or for some other activity. In American English grounds is also used. ...the city's football ground. ...a parade ground. N-COUNT: supp N 7. The grounds of a large or important building are the garden or area of land which surrounds it. ...the palace grounds. ...the grounds of the University. N-PLURAL: usu with supp, oft N of n, n N 8. You can use ground to refer to a place or situation in which particular methods or ideas can develop and be successful. The company has maintained its reputation as the developing ground for new techniques... Colonialism is especially fertile ground for nationalist ideas. N-VAR: with supp, oft N for n 9. You can use ground in expressions such as on shaky ground and the same ground to refer to a particular subject, area of experience, or basis for an argument. Sensing she was on shaky ground, Marie changed the subject... The French are on solid ground when they argue that competitiveness is no reason for devaluation... It's often necessary to go over the same ground more than once. N-UNCOUNT: supp N, oft on adj N 10. Ground is used in expressions such as gain ground, lose ground, and give ground in order to indicate that someone gets or loses an advantage. (JOURNALISM) There are signs that the party is gaining ground in the latest polls... The US dollar lost more ground. 11. If something is grounds for a feeling or action, it is a reason for it. If you do something on the grounds of a particular thing, that thing is the reason for your action. In the interview he gave some grounds for optimism... The court overturned that decision on the grounds that the Prosecution had withheld crucial evidence... Owen was against it, on the grounds of expense. N-VAR: N for n, on N with supp 12. If an argument, belief, or opinion is grounded in something, that thing is used to justify it. Her argument was grounded in fact... They believe the soul is immortal, grounding this belief on the Divine nature of the human spirit. = base VERB: be V-ed in/on n, V n in/on n 13. If an aircraft or its passengers are grounded, they are made to stay on the ground and are not allowed to take off. The civil aviation minister ordered all the planes to be grounded... A hydrogen leak forced NASA to ground the space shuttle. VERB: be V-ed, V n 14. When parents ground a child, they forbid them to go out and enjoy themselves for a period of time, as a punishment. Thompson grounded him for a month, and banned television. VERB: V n 15. If a ship or boat is grounded or if it grounds, it touches the bottom of the sea, lake, or river it is on, and is unable to move off. Residents have been told to stay away from the region where the ship was grounded... The boat finally grounded on a soft, underwater bank. ...a grounded oil tanker. VERB: be V-ed, V, V-ed 16. The ground in an electric plug or piece of electrical equipment is the wire through which electricity passes into the ground and which makes the equipment safe. (AM; in BRIT, use earth) N-COUNT: usu sing 17. Ground meat has been cut into very small pieces in a machine. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use minced) ...ground beef. ...The sausages are made of coarsely ground pork. ADJ 18. Ground is the past tense and past participle of grind. 19. see also grounding, home ground 20. If you break new ground, you do something completely different or you do something in a completely different way. Gellhorn may have broken new ground when she filed her first report on the Spanish Civil War. PHRASE: V inflects [approval] 21. If you say that a town or building is burnt to the ground or is razed to the ground, you are emphasizing that it has been completely destroyed by fire. The town was razed to the ground after the French Revolution. PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 22. If two people or groups find common ground, they agree about something, especially when they do not agree about other things. PHRASE 23. If you go to ground, you hide somewhere where you cannot easily be found. (BRIT) Citizens of East Beirut went to ground in basements and shelters. PHRASE: V inflects 24. The middle ground between two groups, ideas, or plans involves things which do not belong to either of these groups, ideas, or plans but have elements of each, often in a less extreme form. She seems to have found a middle ground in which mutual support, rather than complete dependency, is possible. PHRASE: oft PHR between n 25. If something such as a project gets off the ground, it begins or starts functioning. We help small companies to get off the ground. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 26. If you prepare the ground for a future event, course of action, or development, you make it easier for it to happen. ...a political initiative which would prepare the ground for war. PHRASE: V inflects 27. If you shift your ground or change your ground, you change the basis on which you are arguing. PHRASE: V inflects 28. If you stand your ground or hold your ground, you continue to support a particular argument or to have a particular opinion when other people are opposing you or trying to make you change your mind. The spectacle of Sakharov standing his ground and speaking his mind gave me hope. PHRASE: V inflects 29. If you stand your ground or hold your ground, you do not run away from a situation, but face it bravely. She had to force herself to stand her ground when she heard someone approaching. PHRASE: V inflects 30. If you say that something such as a job or piece of clothing suits someone down to the ground, you mean that it is completely suitable or right for them. (BRIT INFORMAL) PHRASE: V inflects [emphasis] 31. If people or things of a particular kind are thin on the ground, there are very few of them. (mainly BRIT) Good managers are often thin on the ground. PHRASE: v-link PHR 32. to have one's ear to the ground: see ear

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Soil, earth, clod, turf, sod, loam, mould, surface of land. 2. Region, territory, country, land, domain. 3. Estate, acres, field, real property, landed estate. 4. Foundation, support, base, basis, ground-work. 5. Motive, consideration, reason, cause, inducement, account. II. v. a. 1. Place on the ground. 2. Found, establish, base, fix, set. 3. Train in rudiments, make thorough in the elements. III. v. n. Run aground, get aground.

Moby Thesaurus

Bassalia, a priori principle, abyss, abyssal zone, acres, affirmation, agora, air brush, airspace, alluvion, alluvium, ambition, amphitheater, angle, antecedent, antecedents, apriorism, arable land, area, arena, argument, art paper, aspiration, assertion, assumed position, assumption, athletic field, auditorium, axiom, back, backdrop, background, base, basement, basin, basis, bathyal zone, beach, bear garden, bearing wall, bed, bedding, bedrock, belt, benthos, billiard table, blow down, blow over, bottom, bottom waters, bottomless depths, bottommost, bowl, bowl down, bowl over, bowling green, boxing ring, branny, bring down, broaden the mind, brush, build, build in, bull ring, bulldog, call, calling, camera lucida, camera obscura, campus, canvas, carpet, cast away, cast down, catechize, categorical proposition, causation, cause, cause and effect, chalk, chalklike, chalky, channel, charcoal, chop down, chromogen, cincture, circus, civilize, clay, clod, close, coach, coat, coat of paint, coating, cockpit, coliseum, color, color filter, color gelatin, colorant, coloring, colosseum, comminute, comminuted, compass, confine, confines, confirm, consideration, container, continental shelf, coop, corridor, coulee, country, course, court, courtyard, cover, crayon, crushed, crust, curtilage, cut down, dash down, data, dead flat, dead level, dead-color, deck, deep-dye, define, delimited field, demonstrate, demonstration, department, deposit, determinant, determinative, detrital, detrited, direct, dirt, disintegrated, distance, distemper, district, division, down, drawing paper, drawing pencil, dregs, drier, drop, dry land, dust, dusty, dye, dyestuff, earth, easel, edify, educate, efflorescent, element, embed, enclave, enclosure, engraft, engrave, enlighten, entrench, environs, esplanade, establish, etch, etiology, evidence, excuse, exterior paint, factor, farinaceous, fell, fetch down, field, fine, first principles, fix, fixative, flaky, flat, flat coat, flat wash, flatland, flatten, floor, floor covering, floor enamel, flooring, floury, fold, fond, footing, forum, found, foundation, freehold, fundament, fundamental, furfuraceous, give instruction, give lessons in, glebe, goal, gone to dust, good reason, grassland, grated, grounds, groundwork, guide, guiding light, guiding star, gym, gymnasium, hall, hardpan, heartland, hew down, hinterland, hippodrome, homaloid, horizontal, horizontal axis, horizontal fault, horizontal line, horizontal parallax, horizontal plane, horizontal projection, hypothesis, hypothesis ad hoc, ideal, illumine, impact, impalpable, implant, impress, imprint, infix, inform, infrastructure, ingrain, initiate, inner space, inscribe, inspiration, install, instruct, insulate, intention, interior paint, invest, isolate, jam, justification, knock down, land, landholdings, lay figure, lay level, lay low, lay out, lay the foundation, ledge, lees, lemma, level, level line, level plane, levigated, list, lists, lithosphere, loam, locale, lodestar, lodge, lowest, mainspring, major premise, marginal land, marketplace, marl, mat, material basis, matter, maulstick, mealy, mean sea level, medium, milieu, milled, minor premise, mise-en-scene, mold, motive, mow down, neighborhood, nethermost, occasion, ocean bottom, ocean depths, ocean floor, offshore rights, opaque color, open forum, open the eyes, organize, pack, paint, paintbrush, palaestra, pale, palette, palette knife, paling, parade ground, park, parquet, part, parterre, parts, pastel, pave, pavement, paving, pelagic zone, pen, pencil, perspective, pestled, philosopheme, pigment, pigments, pile up, pit, pitch, place, plain, plane, plant, platform, position, post, postulate, postulation, postulatum, powdered, powdery, prairie, precinct, precincts, precipitate, precipitation, premise, premises, prepare, presupposition, prime coat, primer, priming, principle, print, prize ring, proof, proposition, propositional function, prostrate, public square, pull down, pulverant, pulverized, pulverulent, purlieu, purlieus, put in, put up, quad, quadrangle, quarter, radical, range, rase, rationale, raze, real estate, real property, rear, reason, reduced to powder, reeducate, region, regolith, right, ring, riprap, rock bottom, rock-bottom, root, rudiment, run aground, sake, salient, scaly, scene, scene of action, scenery, school, scobicular, scobiform, scope, score, scratchboard, scurfy, sea level, sea of grass, seat, section, sediment, send headlong, set, set in, set right, set up, setting, settle, settlings, sharded, sharpen the wits, shipwreck, show, show how, shredded, siccative, sill, site, sketchbook, sketchpad, sod, soil, solid ground, solid rock, source, space, spatula, sphere, spray gun, spread-eagle, spring, square, squared circle, stadium, stage, stage set, stage setting, stain, stamp, stand, standing, statement, station, status, steppe, stereobate, stereotype, stimulus, strand, stump, stylobate, subaerial deposit, subsoil, substance, substratum, substruction, substructure, sumption, supinate, supposal, surfacing, sustain, table, take down, take the ground, teach, teach a lesson, teach the rudiments, tempera, terra, terra firma, terrace, terrain, territory, test, testimony, the country, the deep, the deep sea, the deeps, the depths, theater, theorem, thesis, thinner, three-mile limit, throw, throw down, tilting ground, tiltyard, tinction, tincture, toft, topple, topsoil, train, transparent color, trench, trial, trip, triturated, truth table, truth-function, truth-value, tumble, turf, turpentine, turps, tutor, twelve-mile limit, ulterior motive, underbuilding, undercarriage, undercoat, undercoating, undergirding, undermost, underpinning, understruction, understructure, varnish, vehicle, venue, vest, vicinage, vicinity, viewpoint, vocation, walk, warrant, wash, wash coat, water level, wedge, whack down, wherefore, why, whyfor, woodland, wreck, wrestling ring, yard, zone