Ground I Make Found Area ɡraʊnd Fell Extra

• i found her lying on the ground.
• he fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
• the adult insects live above ground.
• the helicopter hovered a couple of hundred metres above the ground.

ground

1. the solid surface of the earth
• I found her lying on the ground.
• He fell to the ground, crying out in pain.
• The adult insects live above ground.
• The helicopter hovered a couple of hundred metres above the ground.
• The library has four levels below ground and seven above.
• Most of the monkey's food is found at ground level.

Extra Examples

• He sat down on the ground.
• Her eyes searched the ground.
• The helicopter burst into flames when it hit the ground.
• The plane was so overloaded it couldn't leave the ground.
• The horse pawed the ground impatiently.
• The roots may spread as far below ground as does the foliage above ground.
• The town stands on high ground and is not prone to flooding.
• The tunnel goes deep under the ground.
• The window is just above ground level.
• Thunder shook the ground.
• a hole in the ground
• the broken branches which littered the ground
• It was buried three metres below ground.
• Her feet don't reach the ground when she sits down.
• The rope barely reached the ground below.
• The rocket crashed a few seconds after it left the ground.
• The plant grows to about two feet above ground.
• The ground fell away to the left of the road.
• Most of the animals' food is found at ground level.
2. used to describe activities that take place on the ground, not in the air or at sea
• Ground forces were deployed in the area.
• the deployment of ground troops
• a ground and air attack
• He called for more troops on the ground.
3. an area of open land
• The kids were playing on waste ground behind the school.
• We found a patch of open ground in the middle of the woods.
• There was a small patch of ground at the side of the cottage.
• They drove across miles of rough, stony ground.
4. an area of land that is used for a particular purpose, activity or sport
• SEE ALSO breeding ground
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/breeding-ground
• a football/cricket ground
• The atmosphere inside the ground was electric.
5. a large area of land or sea that is used for a particular purpose
• fishing grounds
• feeding grounds for birds
6. soil on the surface of the earth
• fertile ground for planting crops
• Prepare the ground before you plant anything.
• You can sow the seeds directly into the ground.
• The car got stuck in the muddy ground.
7. the land or gardens around a large building
• the hospital grounds
• We had a guided tour of the house and grounds.
• The house has extensive grounds.

Extra Examples

• Many estate workers lived in cottages in the grounds of the castle.
• She lived in the grounds of the castle.
• The doctor's office is on the grounds of the hospital.
• The palace is set in extensive grounds.
• The boys were playing in the school grounds after hours.
8. an area of interest, knowledge or ideas
• SEE ALSO common ground
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/common-ground
• He managed to cover a lot of ground in a short talk.
• We had to go over the same ground (= talk about the same things again) in class the next day.
• I thought I was on safe ground (= not likely to offend or upset somebody) talking about music.
• You're on dangerous ground (= likely to offend or upset somebody) if you criticize his family.
• Legal scholars say the president is on shaky ground.
• He felt he was back on familiar ground.
• Paris in the 1920s was fertile ground for artistic experimentation.

Extra Examples

• He knew he was on dangerous ground talking about money.
• I was on more familiar ground now that we were talking about our own system.
• I apologize if I'm going over old ground.
• Legally, we're on very shaky ground.
• Several researchers have published articles covering this ground.
• We just seem to be going over the same ground that we covered last year.
9. a good or true reason for saying, doing or believing something
• You have no grounds for complaint.
• What were his grounds for wanting a divorce?
• There are reasonable grounds to believe that a crime has been committed.
• The case was dismissed on the ground that there was insufficient evidence.
• Employers cannot discriminate on grounds of age.
• He retired early on health grounds.
• She was released on compassionate grounds.
• What are the grounds of appeal?
• Their caution was not without grounds.

Extra Examples

• Drunkenness at work was sufficient grounds for instant dismissal.
• He resigned from his post on the grounds of ill health.
• His evasiveness gave grounds for the suspicion that he knew more than he was saying.
• Permission to open a mine was denied on environmental grounds.
• The constable had reasonable grounds for arresting her.
10. the small pieces of solid matter in a liquid that have fallen to the bottom
• coffee grounds
11. a wire that connects an electric circuit with the ground and makes it safe
• Don't forget to connect the ground wire.
12. a background that a design is painted or printed on
• pink roses on a white ground
13. to be in a strong position in an argument, etc. because you know the facts
• Everyone agreed with me, so I knew I was on firm ground.
• He is probably on solid ground when he says we need more training.
14. to make a new discovery or do something that has not been done before
• SEE ALSO groundbreaking
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/groundbreaking
• Her architectural designs have broken new ground.
15. to suddenly cause somebody’s idea or plan to fail by doing something to stop them from continuing with it
16. to fail to produce the result or the effect that you hope for; to have little success
• His charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
• The peace initiatives have already fallen on stony ground.
17. completely, or including everything, starting with the most basic things
• We need to rebuild the system from the ground up.
• He learned about the business from the ground up.
18. to become more powerful or successful
• Sterling continues to gain ground against the dollar.
19. to gradually get closer to somebody/something that is moving or making progress in an activity
• The police car was gaining ground on the suspects.
• They needed to make up ground on their competitors.
20. to start happening successfully; to make something start happening successfully
• Without more money, the movie is unlikely to get off the ground.
• to get a new company off the ground
• His plan is too costly to ever get off the ground.
21. to allow somebody/something to have an advantage; to lose an advantage for yourself
• They are not prepared to give ground on tax cuts.
• The Conservatives lost a lot of ground to the Liberal Democrats at the election.
22. to hide, especially to escape from somebody
23. to have a sensible and realistic attitude to life
• In spite of his overnight stardom he still manages to keep his feet on the ground.
24. to start doing something and continue very quickly and successfully
25. to continue with your opinions or intentions when somebody is opposing you and wants you to change
• Don't let him persuade you—stand your ground.
• She held her ground in the debate.
26. to face a situation and refuse to run away
• It is not easy to hold your ground in front of someone with a gun.
27. to make sure that you always find out about the most recent developments in a particular situation
• The agent had no suitable properties on his books but promised to keep an ear to the ground for us.
28. in the place where something is happening and among the people who are in the situation, especially a war
• On the ground, there are hopes that the fighting will soon stop.
• There's a lot of support for the policy on the ground.
29. in a place that has no connection with either of the people or sides who are meeting and so does not give an advantage to either of them
• We decided to meet on neutral ground.
30. in an area where somebody has a lot of power, knowledge or experience
• They are fighting the Conservatives on their own ground.
• When it comes to music I'm on my own ground.
31. to make it possible or easier for something to be achieved
• The committee will prepare the ground for next month's meeting.
• Early experiments with rockets prepared the ground for space travel.
32. to make somebody work so hard that they are no longer able to work; to use something so much that it is broken
33. to work so hard that you become extremely tired
34. to change your opinion about a subject, especially during a discussion
• Each time he seemed to be losing the argument, he just shifted his ground.
35. to be very convenient or acceptable for somebody
• This job suits me down to the ground.
• Country life suits me down to the ground!
36. to claim that your side of an argument is morally better than your opponents’ side; to argue in a way that makes your side seem morally better
• I was angry with his blatant attempt to take the moral high ground.
37. if people or things are thick/thin on the ground, there are a lot/not many of them in a place
• Customers are thin on the ground at this time of year.
• Security officers were thick on the ground during the King’s visit.
38. completely, so that there is nothing left
• The hotel burned to the ground.
• The city was razed to the ground (= completely destroyed).

Word Origin

• noun Old English grund, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch grond and German Grund.