- ground
- ground1 W1S1 [graund] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(earth)¦2¦(area of land)¦3¦(reason)¦4¦(subject)¦5¦(opinion)¦6¦(sport)¦7 hold/stand your ground8 get off the ground9 gain ground10 lose ground11 breeding/fertile/proving ground12 burn/raze something to the ground13 work/drive/run yourself into the ground14 on the ground15 stamping ground16¦(electrical)¦17 grounds18 go to ground19 run somebody/something to ground20¦(background)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[: Old English; Origin: grund]1.) ¦(EARTH)¦[U]a) the surface of the earththe ground▪ The leaves were slowly fluttering to the ground.▪ He lay on the ground and stared up at the sky.▪ The ground was frozen solid.above/below/under ground▪ At night, badgers feed above ground.▪ These youngsters work 70 metres below ground level .▪ A raised platform stood 2 metres off the ground.▪ The air raids were followed by military action on the ground (=on land) .▪ ground troops (=soldiers who fight on land)b) the soil on and under the surface of the earth▪ Dig the ground over in the autumn.▪ Plant the seeds 2 cm deep in the ground.▪ The ground was dry, far too dry for growing corn.2.) ¦(AREA OF LAND)¦a) [U]an area of land without buildings, fences, woods etc▪ The landscape is a mixture of open ground and woodland.▪ They were standing on the waste ground (=land in a town that is not being used) behind the car park.b) BrE also grounds [plural]especially AmE an area of land or sea that is used for a particular purpose▪ fishing groundsparade/hunting/burial etc ground▪ These fields served as a hunting ground for the local people.▪ The rivers are used as dumping grounds for industrial waste.▪ He is buried in sacred ground.c) grounds [plural]the land or gardens surrounding a large building▪ We decided to take a stroll in the hotel grounds.3.) ¦(REASON)¦grounds [ plural]a good reason for doing, believing, or saying somethinggrounds for (doing) sth▪ Mental cruelty can be grounds for divorce .▪ There are strong grounds for believing his statement.have grounds to do sth▪ Did the police have reasonable grounds to arrest him?on moral/legal/medical etc grounds▪ The proposal was rejected on environmental grounds.on (the) grounds of sth▪ Flying was ruled out on grounds of cost.▪ 'You're under arrest.' 'On what grounds?'on the grounds that▪ We oppose the bill, on the grounds that it discriminates against women.4.) ¦(SUBJECT)¦[U]a subject or area of knowledge▪ At meetings, we just keep going over the same ground (=talking about the same things) .▪ His latest movie looks set to break new ground (=introduce new and exciting ideas) .familiar/home ground(=a subject etc that you know something about)▪ In his latest book, McManus returns to more familiar ground.5.) ¦(OPINION)¦[U]a general opinion or set of attitudes▪ Often parents and teenagers find they have little common ground (=they do not share the same attitudes etc) .the middle/centre ground(=opinions that are not extreme that most people would agree with)▪ Both parties are battling to occupy the centre ground .▪ Careful, Laura. You could be treading on dangerous ground (=expressing opinions etc that might offend someone) .▪ Each side was unwilling to give ground (=change their opinion) .6.) ¦(SPORT)¦ BrEthe place where a particular sport is played→↑stadium▪ a new football ground▪ It's their first defeat at their home ground (=the ground that belongs to a particular team) all season.7.) hold/stand your grounda) to stay where you are when someone threatens you, in order to show them that you are not afraid▪ The men threatened him, but he stood his ground and they fled.b) to refuse to change your mind about something, even though people are opposing you▪ Jason vowed to stand his ground, even if it meant losing his job.8.) get off the groundto start to be successful▪ Her show never really got off the ground in the UK.9.) gain grounda) to become more successful▪ It was feared that the extreme right might be gaining considerable ground in the election campaign.b) if an idea, belief etc gains ground, more people start to accept it▪ His theories gradually gained ground among academics.c) to get closer to someone or something that you are competing with10.) lose groundto become less successful compared with someone or something you are competing with▪ The Indian team seem determined to regain the ground they lost in the last game.11.) breeding/fertile/proving grounda situation in which something develops quickly or successfully▪ The region, with its widespread poverty, provided fertile ground for revolutionary activitists.prepare/lay the ground(=to provide the situation or conditions in which something can develop successfully) breeding/fertile/proving ground for▪ My task was to prepare the ground for the recruitment of support workers.12.) burn/raze sth to the groundto destroy a city, building etc completely by fire, bombs etc▪ The city of Tortona was burnt to the ground.13.) work/drive/run yourself into the groundto work so hard that you become very tired or ill▪ Kay's working herself into the ground trying to meet her deadlines.14.) on the groundin the place or situation where something important is happening, rather than somewhere else - used especially in news reports▪ While the politicians talk of peace, the situation on the ground remains tense.15.) stamping groundBrE stomping ground AmE informal someone's stamping ground is an area where they are known or have a lot of influence▪ I guess he'll try to reach his old stomping ground to drum up support.16.) ¦(ELECTRICAL)¦ [singular]AmE a wire that connects a piece of electrical equipment to the ground for safetyBritish Equivalent: earth17.) grounds [plural]small pieces of solid material that sink to the bottom of a liquid▪ coffee grounds18.) go to groundBrE to make it hard for people to find you▪ The man has gone to ground since his photograph was published in a national newspaper.19.) run sb/sth to groundBrE to succeed in finding someone or something after a long search20.)¦(BACKGROUND)¦ technicalthe colour used as the background for a design▬▬▬▬▬▬▬WORD CHOICE: ground, land, earth, soil, floorThe ground is the surface that you walk on when you are outdoors : There were a few flakes of snow on the ground. | an area of muddy groundland is an area of ground that is owned or controlled by someone : They were on his land. | land set aside for housingIt is also the part of the earth's surface that is not covered in water : animals that live on landearth or soil is the soft substance that covers the ground and that plants grow in : Green shoots peeped through the earth. | fertile soilThe Earth or earth is also the planet that we live on.The floor is the surface that you walk on when you are indoors : There's mud all over the floor!▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ground 2ground2 v▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(aircraft)¦2¦(boat)¦3 be grounded in/on something4¦(child )¦5¦(electricity)¦Phrasal verbsground somebody in something▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1.) ¦(AIRCRAFT)¦ [T usually passive]to stop an aircraft or pilot from flying▪ All planes are grounded until the fog clears.2.) ¦(BOAT)¦ [I and T]if you ground a boat or if it grounds, it hits the bottom of the sea so that it cannot move▪ Both boats grounded on a mud bank.3.) be grounded in/on sthto be based on something▪ Lewis' ideas were grounded in his strong Christian faith.4.) ¦(CHILD )¦ [T] informalto stop a child going out with their friends as a punishment for behaving badly▪ I got home at 2 am and Dad grounded me on the spot.5.) ¦(ELECTRICITY)¦ [T]AmE to make a piece of electrical equipment safe by connecting it to the ground with a wireBritish Equivalent: earthground in [ground sb in sth] phr vto teach someone the basic things they should know in order to be able to do something▪ Most seven-year-olds are grounded in the basics of reading and writing.ground 3ground3 adj [only before noun]ground coffee or nuts have been broken up into powder or very small pieces, using a special machineground 4ground4the past tense and past participle of ↑grind 1
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
