ground

/graʊnd/

/graʊnd/

Other forms: grounds; grounded; grounding

Ground is the surface of the earth under your feet. Whether you're walking on the beach or climbing a hill, you're standing on the ground.

When a plane lands, it touches down on the ground, and when you get off a scary carnival ride, you're usually very happy to have your feet on solid ground. The noun shows up in phrases like "break new ground," which means to do something completely new, and "stand your ground," or refuse to give up your advantage during an argument or competition. The Old English root is grund, "bottom, foundation, or surface of the earth."

Definitions of ground

1. noun

   the solid part of the earth's surface
   “he dropped the logs on the ground”

   synonyms: dry land, earth, land, solid ground, terra firma

   examples:

   America

   North America and South America and Central America

   types:

   archipelago

   a group of many islands in a large body of water

   beachfront

   a strip of land running along a beach

   cape, ness

   a strip of land projecting into a body of water

   coastal plain

   a plain adjacent to a coast

   floor

   the ground on which people and animals move about

   foreland

   land forming the forward margin of something

   forest, timber, timberland, woodland

   land that is covered with trees and shrubs

   island

   a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

   isthmus

   a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas

   land mass, landmass

   a large continuous extent of land

   mainland

   the main land mass of a country or continent; as distinguished from an island or peninsula

   neck

   a narrow elongated projecting strip of land

   oxbow

   the land inside an oxbow bend in a river

   peninsula

   a large mass of land projecting into a body of water

   champaign, field, plain

   extensive tract of level open land

   slash

   an open tract of land in a forest that is strewn with debris from logging (or fire or wind)

   wonderland

   a place or scene of great or strange beauty or wonder

   Caribbean Island

   an island in the Caribbean Sea

   Aegean island

   an island in the Aegean Sea

   barrier island

   a long narrow sandy island (wider than a reef) running parallel to the shore

   continent

   one of the large landmasses of the earth

   flat

   a level tract of land

   flood plain, floodplain

   a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding

   greenwood

   woodlands in full leaf

   llano

   an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America)

   moor, moorland

   open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather and bracken and moss

   peneplain, peneplane

   a more or less level land surface representing an advanced stage of erosion undisturbed by crustal movements

   riparian forest

   woodlands along the banks of stream or river

   silva, sylva

   the forest trees growing in a country or region

   snowfield

   a permanent wide expanse of snow

   South Sea Islands

   any islands in the southern or southwestern of central parts of the Pacific Ocean

   spit, tongue

   a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea

   steppe

   extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)

   subcontinent

   a large and distinctive landmass (as India or Greenland) that is a distinct part of some continent

   tidewater

   low-lying coastal land drained by tidal streams

   tree farm

   a forest (or part of a forest) where trees are grown for commercial use

   tundra

   a vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen

   type of:

   object, physical object

   a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
2. noun

   the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
   synonyms: earth

   types:

   moraine

   accumulated earth and stones deposited by a glacier

   diatomaceous earth, diatomite, kieselguhr

   a light soil consisting of siliceous diatom remains and often used as a filtering material

   saprolite

   a deposit of clay and disintegrating rock that is found in its original place

   dirt, soil

   the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock

   marl

   a loose and crumbling earthy deposit consisting mainly of calcite or dolomite; used as a fertilizer for soils deficient in lime

   regosol

   a type of soil consisting of unconsolidated material from freshly deposited alluvium or sand

   residual clay, residual soil

   the soil that is remaining after the soluble elements have been dissolved

   surface soil, topsoil

   the layer of soil on the surface

   subsoil, undersoil

   the layer of soil between the topsoil and bedrock

   alluvial soil

   a fine-grained fertile soil deposited by water flowing over flood plains or in river beds

   bog soil

   poorly drained soils on top of peat and under marsh or swamp vegetation

   clay

   a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired

   clunch

   hardened clay

   desert soil, desertic soil

   a type of soil that develops in arid climates

   caliche, hardpan

   crust or layer of hard subsoil encrusted with calcium-carbonate occurring in arid or semiarid regions

   fuller's earth

   an absorbent soil resembling clay; used in fulling (shrinking and thickening) woolen cloth and as an adsorbent

   gilgai soil

   soil in the melon holes of Australia

   gumbo, gumbo soil

   any of various fine-grained silty soils that become waxy and very sticky mud when saturated with water

   humus

   partially decomposed organic matter; the organic component of soil

   indurated clay

   hardened clay

   Indian red

   a red soil containing ferric oxide; often used as a pigment

   laterite

   a red soil produced by rock decay; contains insoluble deposits of ferric and aluminum oxides

   loam

   a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials

   loess

   a fine-grained unstratified accumulation of clay and silt deposited by the wind

   mold, mould

   loose soil rich in organic matter

   clay, mud

   water-soaked soil; soft, wet earth

   bole

   a soft oily clay used as a pigment (especially a reddish brown pigment)

   podsol, podsol soil, podsolic soil, podzol, podzol soil

   a soil that develops in temperate to cold moist climates under coniferous or heath vegetation; an organic mat over a grey leached layer

   prairie soil

   a type of soil occurring under grasses in temperate climates

   sand

   a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral

   sedimentary clay

   clay soil formed by sedimentary deposits

   silt

   mud or clay or small rocks deposited by a river or lake

   boulder clay, till

   unstratified soil deposited by a glacier; consists of sand and clay and gravel and boulders mixed together

   tundra soil

   a black mucky soil with a frozen subsoil that is characteristic of Arctic and subarctic regions

   wiesenboden

   a dark meadow soil rich in organic material; developed through poor drainage in humid grassy or sedge regions

   type of:

   material, stuff

   the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
3. 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)
   synonyms: land, soil

   types:

   badlands

   deeply eroded barren land

   bottom, bottomland

   low-lying alluvial land near a river

   coastland

   land in a coastal area

   cultivated land, farmland, ploughland, plowland, tillage, tilled land, tilth

   arable land that is worked by plowing and sowing and raising crops

   overburden

   the surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits

   permafrost

   ground that is permanently frozen

   polder

   low-lying land that has been reclaimed and is protected by dikes (especially in the Netherlands)

   rangeland

   land suitable for grazing livestock

   scablands

   (geology) flat elevated land with poor soil and little vegetation that is scarred by dry channels of glacial origin (especially in eastern Washington)

   greensward, sod, sward, turf

   surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots

   wetland

   a low area where the land is saturated with water

   bog, peat bog

   wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel

   divot

   a piece of turf dug out of a lawn or fairway (by an animals hooves or a golf club)

   fallow

   cultivated land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons

   fen, fenland, marsh, marshland

   low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

   swamp, swampland

   low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog

   type of:

   object, physical object

   a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
4. verb

   bring to the ground
   “the storm grounded the ship”

   synonyms: run aground, strand

   type of:

   land

   bring ashore
5. verb

   place or put on the ground
   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
6. verb

   hit onto the ground
   type of:

   hit

   cause to move by striking
7. verb

   confine or restrict to the ground
   “After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot”

   type of:

   confine, hold, restrain

   to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
8. verb

   hit or reach the ground
   synonyms: run aground

   type of:

   arrive at, attain, gain, hit, make, reach

   reach a destination, either real or abstract
9. verb

   hit a groundball
   “he grounded to the second baseman”

   type of:

   hit

   cause to move by striking
10. verb

    throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
    type of:

    throw

    propel through the air
11. noun

    a relation that provides the foundation for something
    synonyms: basis, footing

    types:

    common ground

    a basis agreed to by all parties for reaching a mutual understanding

    type of:

    foundation

    the basis on which something is grounded
12. noun

    a rational motive for a belief or action
    “the grounds for their declaration”

    synonyms: reason

    types:

    occasion

    a reason

    account, score

    grounds

    wherefore, why

    the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase `the whys and wherefores'

    type of:

    rational motive

    a motive that can be defended by reasoning or logical argument
13. verb

    use as a basis for; found on
    synonyms: base, establish, found

    types:

    build

    found or ground
14. verb

    instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
    type of:

    instruct, learn, teach

    impart skills or knowledge to
15. noun

    a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
    antonyms:

    figure

    a unitary percept having structure and coherence that is the object of attention and that stands out against a ground

    type of:

    percept, perception, perceptual experience

    the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
16. noun

    the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
    synonyms: background

    type of:

    aspect, panorama, prospect, scene, view, vista

    the visual percept of a region
17. noun

    (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
    type of:

    surface

    the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
18. noun

    a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)
    synonyms: earth

    type of:

    connecter, connection, connective, connector, connexion

    an instrumentality that connects
19. verb

    connect to a ground
    “ground the electrical connections for safety reasons”

    types:

    earth

    connect to the earth

    type of:

    connect, link, link up, tie

    connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
20. 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”

    type of:

    military position, position

    a point occupied by troops for tactical reasons
21. verb

    fix firmly and stably
    synonyms: anchor

    type of:

    fasten, fix, secure

    cause to be firmly attached
22. noun

    the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
    synonyms: flat coat, primer, primer coat, priming, priming coat, undercoat

    types:

    couch

    a flat coat of paint or varnish used by artists as a primer

    type of:

    coat of paint

    a layer of paint covering something else
23. verb

    cover with a primer; apply a primer to
    synonyms: prime, undercoat

    type of:

    paint

    apply paint to; coat with paint