/ graʊnd; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective
—see also grind verb
■ noun
SURFACE OF EARTH
1.
(often the ground ) [ U ] the solid surface of the earth :
I found her lying on the ground .
He lost his balance and fell to the ground .
2 metres above / below ground
Most of the monkeys' food is found at ground level .
ground forces (= soldiers that fight on land, not in the air or at sea)
Houses and a luxury tourist hotel were burned to the ground (= completely destroyed, so that there is nothing left) .
➡ note at floor
SOIL
2.
[ U ] soil on the surface of the earth :
fertile ground for planting crops
➡ note at soil
AREA OF LAND
3.
[ U ] an area of open land :
The kids were playing on waste ground behind the school.
4.
[ C ] (often in compounds) ( BrE ) an area of land that is used for a particular purpose, activity or sport :
a football / recreation / sports, etc. ground
ancient burial grounds
—see also breeding ground , dumping ground , parade ground , stamping ground , testing ground ➡ note at land
5.
grounds [ pl. ] a large area of land or sea that is used for a particular purpose :
fishing grounds
feeding grounds for birds
GARDENS
6.
grounds [ pl. ] the land or gardens around a large building :
the hospital grounds
AREA OF KNOWLEDGE / IDEAS
7.
[ U ] an area of interest, knowledge or ideas :
He managed to cover a lot of ground in a short talk.
We had to go over the same ground (= talk about the same things again) in class the next day.
You're on dangerous ground (= talking about ideas that are likely to offend sb or make people angry) if you criticize his family.
I thought I was on safe ground (= talking about a suitable subject) discussing music with her.
He was back on familiar ground , dealing with the customers.
They are fighting the Conservatives on their own ground .
—see also common ground , middle ground
GOOD REASON
8.
[ C , usually pl. ] ground for sth / for doing sth a good or true reason for saying, doing or believing sth :
You have no grounds for complaint.
What were his grounds for wanting a divorce?
The case was dismissed on the grounds that there was not enough evidence.
He retired from the job on health grounds .
Employers cannot discriminate on grounds of age.
➡ note at reason
IN LIQUID
9.
grounds [ pl. ] the small pieces of solid matter in a liquid that have fallen to the bottom :
coffee grounds
ELECTRICAL WIRE
10.
[ C , usually sing. ] ( NAmE ) = earth (5)
BACKGROUND
11.
[ C ] a background that a design is painted or printed on :
pink roses on a white ground
•
IDIOMS
- cut the ground from under sb's feet
- gain / make up ground (on sb/sth)
- get (sth) off the ground
- give / lose ground (to sb/sth)
- go to ground
- hold / stand your ground
- on the ground
- run / drive / work yourself into the ground
- run sb/sth into the ground
- thick / thin on the ground
—more at ear , firm adjective , foot noun , gain verb , hit verb , moral adjective , neutral adverb , new , prepare , rivet verb , shift verb , stony , suit verb
■ verb
BOAT
1.
when a boat grounds or sth grounds it, it touches the bottom of the sea and is unable to move :
[ vn ]
The fishing boat had been grounded on rocks off the coast of Cornwall.
[also v ]
AIRCRAFT
2.
[ vn ] [ often passive ] to prevent an aircraft from taking off :
The balloon was grounded by strong winds.
All planes out of Heathrow have been grounded by the strikes.
CHILD
3.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to punish a child by not allowing them to go out with their friends for a period of time :
You're grounded for a week!
ELECTRICITY
4.
[ vn ] ( NAmE ) = earth
—see also grounded , grounding
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] ( of food ) cut or crushed into very small pieces or powder :
ground coffee
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun and verb Old English grund , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch grond and German Grund .