1. the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: He fell to the ground with a loud thud.
2. earth or soil: The stony ground is bad for growing wheat.
3. land having an indicated character: The church stands on rising ground overlooking the town.
4. a tract of land appropriated to a special use (often used in combination): Please keep the picnic grounds clean using the trash cans provided.The park was originally a hunting ground for the royal family.
5. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: Harassment is grounds for dismissal.
6. subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula.
7. rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: The study's theoretical underpinnings are on firm ground.I had little medical knowledge of my own, so I was on shaky ground trying to figure out the problem.
8. the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.
9. Fine Arts.
• a coating of some substance serving as a surface for paint, ink, or other media in art: Lead white is a traditional ground for oil paintings.
• ground color (def. 2).
10. the perceived background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.
11. grounds,
• coffee beans or the like that have been ground and used for brewing: He cleared the coffee grounds out of the bottom of the pot and started a new batch brewing.
• dregs or sediment.
12. the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.
13. a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.
14. ground bass.
15. the bottom of a body of water.
16. the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water: Our website can only compute the cost of shipping by ground, not by air.
17. an acid-resistant substance, composed of wax, gum, and resin in varying proportions, applied to the entire surface of an etching plate and through which the design is drawn with an etching needle.
18. Carpentry.
• a strip of wood to which woodwork can be attached, set flush with the plaster finish of a room.
• a strip of wood or length of corner bead used at an opening as a stop for plasterwork.

19. situated on, at, or adjacent to the surface of the earth: a ground attack.
20. relating to the ground.
21. operating on land: ground forces.

22. to lay or set on the ground.
23. to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.
24. to instruct in the basics or first principles: Before training them for medicine, you have to ground students in science.
25. to establish a ground for (a circuit, device, etc.).
26. to cause (a vessel) to run aground.
27. to restrict (an aircraft or the like) to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.
28. to forbid (a pilot) to fly because of bad health, failure to comply with safety regulations, or the like.
29. to put out of action or make unable to participate: The quarterback was grounded by a knee injury.
30. to restrict the activities, especially the social activities, of: I can't go to the party—my parents have grounded me until my grades improve.
31. to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.
32. to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.

33. to come to or strike the ground.
34. Baseball.
• to hit a ground ball.
• to ground out.

35. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.

36. break ground,
• to plow.
• to begin excavation for a construction project.
• to begin or take preparatory measures for any undertaking.
37. boot¹ (def. 28).
38. cover ground,
• to pass or travel over a certain area.
• to make a certain amount of progress in dealing with a piece of work, subject, treatise, or the like: He talked for two hours without covering much ground.
39. to render (an argument, position, person, etc.) ineffective or invalid; refute: It didn't require much effort to cut the ground from under that case.
40. from the ground up,
• gradually from the most elementary level to the highest level: She learned the business from the ground up.
• extensively; thoroughly: The professor knew his subject from the ground up.
41. gain ground,
• to make progress; advance: As consumer demand for SUVs gained ground, so did the company's popularity.
• to gain approval or acceptance: The case for renewable energy is gaining ground throughout the country.
42. to yield to force or forceful argument; retreat: The disarmament talks reached an impasse when neither side would give ground on inspection proposals.
43. to maintain one's position; be steadfast: The referee stood his ground, though his decision was hotly contested by the crowd.
44. beyond a reasonable or necessary point: You've stated your case, and you needn't run it into the ground.
45. lose ground,
• to retreat or be forced back.
• to lose one's advantage; suffer a reverse.
• to wane in popularity or acceptance; begin to fail: Our candidate is losing ground in industrial areas.
46. into action or well under way: The play never got off the ground.
47. in an area or situation that one knows well.
48. on the ground,
• at the place of action, interest, or importance: Minutes after the bank robbery, reporters were on the ground to get the story.
• in reality; in real life: The facts on the ground are different from the rosy picture in official narratives.
49. to change position in an argument or situation.
50. to be perfectly satisfactory; please greatly: This climate suits me down to the ground.
51. to become grounded at low water.
52. to ground,
• into a den, burrow, shelter, or the like: a fox gone to ground.
• into concealment or hiding: Rather than take the witness stand, she went to ground in another country.

1. a simple past tense and past participle of grind.

2. reduced to fine particles or dust by grinding.
3. (of meat, vegetables, etc.) reduced to very small pieces by putting through a food processor or grinder: ground beef.
4. having the surface abraded or roughened by or as if by grinding, as in order to reduce its transparency: ground glass.

1. the land surface
2. earth or soil
3. the land around a dwelling house or other building
4. an area of land given over to a purpose
5. land having a particular characteristic
6. matter for consideration or debate; field of research or inquiry
7. a position or viewpoint, as in an argument or controversy (esp in the phrases give ground, hold, stand, or shift one's ground)
8. position or advantage, as in a subject or competition (esp in the phrases gain ground, lose ground, etc)
9. reason; justification
10. arts
• the prepared surface applied to the support of a painting, such as a wall, canvas, etc, to prevent it reacting with or absorbing the paint
• the support of a painting
• the background of a painting or main surface against which the other parts of a work of art appear superimposed
• the first coat of paint applied to a surface
• (as modifier)
12. the bottom of a river or the sea
13. sediment or dregs, esp from coffee
14. the floor of a room
15. cricket
• the area from the popping crease back past the stumps, in which a batsman may legally stand
• ground staff
16. See ground bass
17. a mesh or network supporting the main pattern of a piece of lace
18. electrical, US and Canadian
• a connection between an electrical circuit or device and the earth, which is at zero potential
• a terminal to which this connection is made
19. alive
20. dead and buried
21. to do something that has not been done before
22. to anticipate someone's action or argument and thus make it irrelevant or meaningless
23. completely; absolutely
24. to make a beginning, esp one that is successful
25. to go into hiding
26. beyond what is requisite or can be endured; to exhaustion
27. to meet someone according to terms he has laid down himself
28. a position of moral or ethical superiority in a dispute
29. touch ground
• (of a ship) to strike the sea bed
• to arrive at something solid or stable after discussing or dealing with topics that are abstract or inconclusive
30. situated on, living on, or used on the ground
31. concerned with or operating on the ground, esp as distinct from in the air
32. (used in names of plants) low-growing and often trailing or spreading

33. to put or place on the ground
34. to instruct in fundamentals
35. to provide a basis or foundation for; establish
36. to confine (an aircraft, pilot, etc) to the ground
37. to confine (a child) to the house as a punishment
38. the usual US word for earth (def. 16)
39. to run (a vessel) aground
40. to cover (a surface) with a preparatory coat of paint
41. to hit or reach the ground

1. the past tense and past participle of grind

2. having the surface finished, thickness reduced, or an edge sharpened by grinding
3. reduced to fine particles by grinding

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