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ground

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noun American English pronunciation: ground /ɡraʊnd/ 
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singularground
pluralgrounds
 
  1. 1
    [singular/uncountable] the top part of the Earth’s surface that people walk on

    I fell to the ground.

    on the ground:

    People were sitting on the ground in small groups.

    above/below ground:

    They were working 250 feet below ground.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    1. a.
      [singular] the layer of soil and rock that forms the Earth’s surface

      the destruction caused by getting coal out of the ground

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    2. b.
      [singular/uncountable] the soil nearest the Earth’s surface in which you can grow plants

      Prepare the ground for planting.

      sandy/hard/soft/rocky ground

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
  2. 2

    grounds

     [plural] the land, gardens, and lawn that surround a large house or other building

    She found him wandering around the grounds.

    maintenance of the buildings and grounds

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    1. a.
      [uncountable] an area of land

      an acre of ground

      open ground (=an area of land without trees or buildings):

      She had to cross open ground to get to the water.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    2. b.
      [countable] an area of land and the structures on it that are intended to be used for a particular purpose

      soldiers on the parade ground

      the polo grounds

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    3. c.
      [countable] an area of land or ocean where a particular thing happens

      the birds’ summer feeding grounds

      a traditional fishing ground

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
  3. 3
    [countable] [usually plural] a reason for what you say or do, or for being allowed to say or do something
    ground for:

    There do seem to be some grounds for their complaints.

    reasonable grounds:

    He believes he has reasonable grounds for making the demand.

    on (the) grounds of:

    The Act prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status.

    on medical/legal/financial etc. grounds:

    The army turned him down on medical grounds.

    on the grounds that:

    They oppose the bill on the grounds that it is too restrictive.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
  4. 4
    [singular/uncountable] the subject, idea, or information being talked about or written about

    Henry seems anxious to return to more familiar ground.

    cover ground:

    We’ll be covering a lot of new ground in today’s lecture.

    go (back) over the same ground:

    There’s no point in going over the same ground twice.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
  5. 5
    [singular/uncountable] someone’s set of opinions or attitudes
    the moral high ground (=opinions or standards that are morally better than other people’s):

    It’s too late to start claiming the moral high ground.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
    See also  middle ground
  6. 6
    [uncountable] the level of success or progress that someone or something has achieved
    lose/gain ground:

    Most stock markets lost ground after their recent gains.

    regain ground:

    In Athenian politics, democratic views had been regaining ground.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground
  9. 9
    [singular/uncountable] an environment in which ideas can develop
    fertile ground:

    Germany in the 1920s and 30s was fertile ground for such ideas.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  groundThesaurus entry for this meaning of ground

phrases

See also

This is the American English definition of ground. View British English definition of ground.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

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