ground

/ɡɹˈaʊnd/ · 1 syllable

Meaning

noun

the solid part of the earth's surface
“the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land”
a rational motive for a belief or action
“the reason that war was declared”
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
“they dug into the earth outside the church”
a relation that provides the foundation for something
“they were on a friendly footing”
a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)
“they gained ground step by step”
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
“he posed her against a background of rolling hills”
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”
a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)
(art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface

verb

fix firmly and stably
“anchor the lamppost in concrete”
confine or restrict to the ground
“After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot”
place or put on the ground
instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
bring to the ground
“the storm grounded the ship”
hit or reach the ground
throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
hit a groundball
“he grounded to the second baseman”
hit onto the ground
cover with a primer; apply a primer to
connect to a ground
“ground the electrical connections for safety reasons”
use as a basis for; found on
“base a claim on some observation”

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