Definitions for groundgraʊnd

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

groundgraʊnd(n.)

the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land.
earth or soil:
stony ground.
land having an indicated character:
rising ground.
Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use:
picnic grounds; a hunting ground.
Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause:
grounds for dismissal.
subject for discussion; topic:
to go repeatedly over the same ground.
rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument:
on firm ground.
the main surface or background in painting, decorative work, lace, etc.
the background in a visual field, contrasted with the figure.
Category: Psychology
a coating of a substance serving as a surface to be worked on, as in painting or etching.
Category: Fine Arts
grounds, dregs or sediment:
coffee grounds.
grounds, the gardens, lawn, etc., surrounding and belonging to a building.
a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.
Category: Electricity and Magnetism
the bottom of a body of water.
Category: Navy
the earth's solid or liquid surface; land or water.
Category: Music and Dance
Ref: ground bass.
(adj.)situated on, at, or near the surface of the earth:
a ground attack.
pertaining to the ground.
operating on land:
ground forces.
Category: Military
(v.t.)to lay or set on the ground.
to place on a foundation; fix firmly; settle or establish; found.
to instruct in elements or first principles:
to ground students in science.
to furnish with a ground or background, as on decorative work.
to cover (wallpaper) with colors or other materials before printing.
to establish a ground for (an electric circuit, device, etc.).
Category: Electricity and Magnetism
to cause (a vessel) to run aground.
Category: Navy
to restrict (an aircraft or pilot) to the ground; prevent from flying.
Category: Aeronautics
Informal. to restrict the activities, esp. the social activities, of, usu. as a punishment.
Category: Common Vocabulary, Informal
(v.i.)to come to or strike the ground.
to hit a ground ball in baseball.
Category: Sport
ground out,Baseball. to be put out at first base after hitting a ground ball to the infield.
Category: Verb Phrase, Sport

Idioms for ground:

take the high ground,to take a position of advantage or superiority.
Category: Idiom

Origin of ground:

bef. 900; ME; OE grund, c. OFris, OS grund, OHG grunt

groundgraʊnd(v.)

Ref: a pt. and pp. of grind .
(adj.)reduced to fine particles by grinding.
having the surface abraded or roughened by or as if by grinding.

Princeton's WordNet

land, dry land, earth, ground, solid ground, terra firma(noun)
the solid part of the earth's surface
"the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground"
reason, ground(noun)
a rational motive for a belief or action
"the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration"
earth, ground(noun)
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
"they dug into the earth outside the church"
footing, basis, ground(noun)
a relation that provides the foundation for something
"they were on a friendly footing"; "he worked on an interim basis"
ground(noun)
a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)
"they gained ground step by step"; "they fought to regain the lost ground"
background, ground(noun)
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
"he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
land, ground, soil(noun)
material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
"the land had never been plowed"; "good agricultural soil"
ground(noun)
a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
ground, earth(noun)
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)
ground(noun)
(art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
flat coat, ground, primer, priming, primer coat, priming coat, undercoat(verb)
the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
anchor, ground(verb)
fix firmly and stably
"anchor the lamppost in concrete"
ground(verb)
confine or restrict to the ground
"After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot"
ground(verb)
place or put on the ground
ground(verb)
instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
ground, strand, run aground(verb)
bring to the ground
"the storm grounded the ship"
ground, run aground(verb)
hit or reach the ground
ground(verb)
throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
ground(verb)
hit a groundball
"he grounded to the second baseman"
ground(verb)
hit onto the ground
prime, ground, undercoat(verb)
cover with a primer; apply a primer to
ground(verb)
connect to a ground
"ground the electrical connections for safety reasons"
establish, base, ground, found(verb)
use as a basis for; found on
"base a claim on some observation"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

ground(noun)ʊnd
the surface of Earth that you walk on
a room below ground; I found the earring lying on the ground.
groundʊnd
a subject that is being discussed
We covered new ground in today's lecture.
groundʊnd
to increase/decrease your advantage or level of success
The company's stocks gained ground this week.
groundʊnd
(of a large project, system, etc.) to start
The new project took a while to get off the ground.
groundʊnd
to refuse to be frightened in a difficult or dangerous situation
She stood her ground and yelled back at them.
groundʊnd
in the place where sth is happening
an aid worker on the ground in the war zone
ground(adjective)ʊnd
(of food) crushed into small pieces
ground beef

Webster Dictionary

Ground(u)
of Grind
Ground(noun)
the surface of the earth; the outer crust of the globe, or some indefinite portion of it
Ground(noun)
a floor or pavement supposed to rest upon the earth
Ground(noun)
any definite portion of the earth's surface; region; territory; country. Hence: A territory appropriated to, or resorted to, for a particular purpose; the field or place of action; as, a hunting or fishing ground; a play ground
Ground(noun)
land; estate; possession; field; esp. (pl.), the gardens, lawns, fields, etc., belonging to a homestead; as, the grounds of the estate are well kept
Ground(noun)
the basis on which anything rests; foundation. Hence: The foundation of knowledge, belief, or conviction; a premise, reason, or datum; ultimate or first principle; cause of existence or occurrence; originating force or agency; as, the ground of my hope
Ground(noun)
that surface upon which the figures of a composition are set, and which relieves them by its plainness, being either of one tint or of tints but slightly contrasted with one another; as, crimson Bowers on a white ground
Ground(noun)
in sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief
Ground(noun)
in point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied; as, Brussels ground. See Brussels lace, under Brussels
Ground(noun)
a gummy composition spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle
Ground(noun)
one of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which moldings, etc., are attached; -- usually in the plural
Ground(noun)
a composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody
Ground(noun)
the tune on which descants are raised; the plain song
Ground(noun)
a conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electrical circuit
Ground(noun)
sediment at the bottom of liquors or liquids; dregs; lees; feces; as, coffee grounds
Ground(noun)
the pit of a theater
Ground(verb)
to lay, set, or run, on the ground
Ground(verb)
to found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly
Ground(verb)
to instruct in elements or first principles
Ground(verb)
to connect with the ground so as to make the earth a part of an electrical circuit
Ground(verb)
to cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching (see Ground, n., 5); or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament
Ground(verb)
to run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed; as, the ship grounded on the bar
Ground(u)
imp. & p. p. of Grind