I.
noun
1 solid surface of the earth
ADJECTIVE
▪ firm , hard , solid
▪ muddy , soft
▪ damp , wet
▪ dry , dusty
▪ cold , frozen
▪ dirt ( AmE )
▪ concrete , stone (both esp. AmE )
▪ snow-covered , snowy
▪ sandy
▪ fertile ( often figurative )
▪
The fall of the old regime provided fertile ~ for opportunism.
VERB + GROUND
▪ fall to , hit , strike , touch
▪
The helicopter burst into flames when it hit the ~.
▪ reach
▪
Her feet don't reach the ~ when she sits down.
▪ get off , leave
▪
The plane was so overloaded it couldn't leave the ~.
▪
His plan is too costly to ever get off the ~. ( figurative )
▪ cover , litter
▪
the broken branches which littered the ~
▪ kick , paw , pound
▪
The horse pawed the ~ impatiently.
▪ scan , search
▪
Her eyes searched the ~.
▪ shake
▪
Thunder shook the ~.
GROUND + NOUN
▪ level
▪
The window is just above ~ level.
▪ forces , troops
PHRASES
▪ the ~ beneath sb's feet
PREPOSITION
▪ above ~ , below ~
▪
The roots may spread as far below ~ as does the foliage above ~.
▪ in the ~
▪
a hole in the ~
▪ on the ~
▪
He sat down on the ~.
▪ under the ~
▪
The tunnel goes deep under the ~.
2 area of land
ADJECTIVE
▪ high , low
▪
The town stands on high ~ and is not prone to flooding.
▪ open
▪ difficult , rocky , rough , stony , uneven
▪ bare , barren
▪ flat , level
▪ marshy
▪ hallowed , holy , sacred
▪
He stood on the hallowed ~ of Yankee Stadium. ( figurative )
… OF GROUND
▪ patch , piece
▪
We found a patch of open ~ in the middle of the woods.
3 piece of land used for a particular purpose
ADJECTIVE
▪ burial
▪ dumping
▪
The river has become a dumping ~ for industrial waste.
▪
Landfill sites provide a dumping ~ for old mattresses, broken chairs as well as household waste.
▪ camp ( AmE ), parade
▪ battle
▪ breeding , feeding , nesting , spawning , wintering
▪
The estuary is a breeding ~ for birds and marine life.
▪
Hospitals are breeding ~s for bacteria.
▪
Poverty is a breeding ~ for terrorism. ( figurative )
▪ fishing , hunting
▪ staging ( esp. AmE )
▪ meeting
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~ , in a/the ~
▪
all the graves in the burial ~
4 ( BrE ) stadium
ADJECTIVE
▪ cricket , football , rugby , etc.
▪ practice , recreation , sports , training
▪ away , home
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~
▪
I'll meet you at the football ~.
▪ inside a/the ~
▪
The atmosphere inside the ~ was electric.
5 grounds land surrounding a large building
ADJECTIVE
▪ extensive , large
▪ castle , hospital , palace , school , etc.
▪ surrounding
VERB + GROUNDS
▪ be set in , have
▪
The palace is set in extensive ~s.
▪ cross , enter , walk
PREPOSITION
▪ in the ~s (of) ( esp. BrE )
▪
She lived in the ~s of the castle.
▪ on the ~s (of) ( AmE )
▪
The doctor's office is on the ~s of the hospital.
6 area of interest/study/discussion
ADJECTIVE
▪ familiar , home , old
▪
I was on more familiar ~ now that we were talking about our own system.
▪
I apologize if I'm going over old ~.
▪ firm , solid
▪ dangerous , rocky , shaky
▪
Legally, we're on very shaky ~ (= our actions may not be legal) .
▪
Both relationships hit rocky ~.
▪ safe
▪ common
▪
Both parties in the debate shared some common ~.
▪ middle
▪
a search for middle ~ between the two sides
▪ neutral
VERB + GROUND
▪ cover , go over , tread
▪
Several researchers have published articles covering this ~.
▪
We just seem to be going over the same ~ that we covered last year.
PREPOSITION
▪ on … ~
▪
He knew he was on dangerous ~ talking about money.
PHRASES
▪ break new ~
▪
Her architectural designs have broken new ~.
▪ hold your ~ , stand your ~
▪
She held her ~ in the debate.
▪ the moral high ~
▪
I was angry with his blatant attempt to take the moral high ~.
▪ shift your ~
▪
Each time he seemed to be losing the argument, he just shifted his ~.
7 grounds reason for sth
ADJECTIVE
▪ good , reasonable , strong , sufficient
▪ legitimate , valid
▪ ethical , humanitarian , moral
▪ economic , legal , political , etc.
VERB + GROUNDS
▪ have
▪
The police had reasonable ~s for arresting her.
▪ be , give (sb)
▪
His evasiveness gave ~s for suspicion.
PREPOSITION
▪ on … ~s
▪
Permission to open a mine was denied on environmental ~s.
▪ on the ~s of
▪
He resigned on the ~s of ill health.
▪ ~ for
▪
Drunkenness at work was sufficient ~s for instant dismissal.
II.
verb be grounded in / on sth
ADVERB
▪ firmly , solidly , thoroughly , well
▪
His book is firmly ~ed in memories of his own childhood.
▪ historically , religiously , scientifically , etc.
Ground is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ fleet , ↑ flight , ↑ helicopter
III.
adj.
Ground is used with these nouns: ↑ almond , ↑ beef , ↑ coffee , ↑ lamb , ↑ meat , ↑ pepper , ↑ pork , ↑ spice , ↑ turkey