- ground
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 solid surface of the earthADJECTIVE▪ firm, hard, solid▪ muddy, soft▪ damp, wet▪ dry, dusty▪ cold, frozen▪ dirt (AmE)▪ concrete, stone (both esp. AmE)▪ snow-covered, snowy▪ sandy▪ fertile (often figurative)▪
The fall of the old regime provided fertile ground for opportunism.
VERB + GROUND▪ fall to, hit, strike, touch▪The helicopter burst into flames when it hit the ground.
▪ reach▪Her feet don't reach the ground when she sits down.
▪ get off, leave▪The plane was so overloaded it couldn't leave the ground.
▪His plan is too costly to ever get off the ground. (figurative)
▪ cover, litter▪the broken branches which littered the ground
▪ kick, paw, pound▪The horse pawed the ground impatiently.
▪ scan, search▪Her eyes searched the ground.
▪ shake▪Thunder shook the ground.
GROUND + NOUN▪ level▪The window is just above ground level.
▪ forces, troopsPHRASES▪ the ground beneath sb's feetPREPOSITION▪ above ground, below ground▪The roots may spread as far below ground as does the foliage above ground.
▪ in the ground▪a hole in the ground
▪ on the ground▪He sat down on the ground.
▪ under the ground▪The tunnel goes deep under the ground.
2 area of landADJECTIVE▪ high, low▪The town stands on high ground and is not prone to flooding.
▪ open▪ difficult, rocky, rough, stony, uneven▪ bare, barren▪ flat, level▪ marshy▪ hallowed, holy, sacred▪He stood on the hallowed ground of Yankee Stadium. (figurative)
… OF GROUND▪ patch, piece▪We found a patch of open ground in the middle of the woods.
3 piece of land used for a particular purposeADJECTIVE▪ burial▪ dumping▪The river has become a dumping ground for industrial waste.
▪Landfill sites provide a dumping ground for old mattresses, broken chairs as well as household waste.
▪ camp (AmE), parade▪ battle▪ breeding, feeding, nesting, spawning, wintering▪The estuary is a breeding ground for birds and marine life.
▪Hospitals are breeding grounds for bacteria.
▪Poverty is a breeding ground for terrorism. (figurative)
▪ fishing, hunting▪ staging (esp. AmE)▪ meetingPREPOSITION▪ at a/the ground, in a/the ground▪all the graves in the burial ground
4 (BrE) stadiumADJECTIVE▪ cricket, football, rugby, etc.▪ practice, recreation, sports, training▪ away, homePREPOSITION▪ at a/the ground▪I'll meet you at the football ground.
▪ inside a/the ground▪The atmosphere inside the ground was electric.
5 grounds land surrounding a large buildingADJECTIVE▪ extensive, large▪ castle, hospital, palace, school, etc.▪ surroundingVERB + GROUNDS▪ be set in, have▪The palace is set in extensive grounds.
▪ cross, enter, walkPREPOSITION▪ in the grounds (of) (esp. BrE)▪She lived in the grounds of the castle.
▪ on the grounds (of) (AmE)▪The doctor's office is on the grounds of the hospital.
6 area of interest/study/discussionADJECTIVE▪ familiar, home, old▪I was on more familiar ground now that we were talking about our own system.
▪I apologize if I'm going over old ground.
▪ firm, solid▪ dangerous, rocky, shaky▪Legally, we're on very shaky ground (= our actions may not be legal).
▪Both relationships hit rocky ground.
▪ safe▪ common▪Both parties in the debate shared some common ground.
▪ middle▪a search for middle ground between the two sides
▪ neutralVERB + GROUND▪ cover, go over, tread▪Several researchers have published articles covering this ground.
▪We just seem to be going over the same ground that we covered last year.
PREPOSITION▪ on … ground▪He knew he was on dangerous ground talking about money.
PHRASES▪ break new ground▪Her architectural designs have broken new ground.
▪ hold your ground, stand your ground▪She held her ground in the debate.
▪ the moral high ground▪I was angry with his blatant attempt to take the moral high ground.
▪ shift your ground▪Each time he seemed to be losing the argument, he just shifted his ground.
7 grounds reason for sthADJECTIVE▪ good, reasonable, strong, sufficient▪ legitimate, valid▪ ethical, humanitarian, moral▪ economic, legal, political, etc.VERB + GROUNDS▪ have▪The police had reasonable grounds for arresting her.
▪ be, give (sb)▪His evasiveness gave grounds for suspicion.
PREPOSITION▪ on … grounds▪Permission to open a mine was denied on environmental grounds.
▪ on the grounds of▪He resigned on the grounds of ill health.
▪ ground for▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}Drunkenness at work was sufficient grounds for instant dismissal.
verb be grounded in/on sthADVERB▪ firmly, solidly, thoroughly, well▪His book is firmly grounded in memories of his own childhood.
▪ historically, religiously, scientifically, etc.{{Roman}}III.{{/Roman}}adj.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
