ground meaning and definition

GROUND noun

Definition of ground (noun)

1. 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"
   • synonyms: dry land, earth, land, solid ground, terra firma
2. a rational motive for a belief or action
   • "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration"
   • synonyms: reason
3. the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
   • "they dug into the earth outside the church"
   • synonyms: earth
4. a relation that provides the foundation for something
   • "they were on a friendly footing"; "he worked on an interim basis"
   • synonyms: basis, footing
5. 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"
6. the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
   • "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
   • synonyms: background
7. 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"
   • synonyms: land, soil
8. a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
   • antonym: figure
9. 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
10. (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
11. the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
    • synonyms: flat coat, primer, primer coat, priming, priming coat, undercoat

GROUND verb

Definition of ground (verb)

1. fix firmly and stably
   • "anchor the lamppost in concrete"
   • synonyms: anchor
2. confine or restrict to the ground
   • "After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot"
3. place or put on the ground
4. instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
5. bring to the ground
   • "the storm grounded the ship"
   • synonyms: run aground, strand
6. hit or reach the ground
   • synonyms: run aground
7. throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
8. hit a groundball
   • "he grounded to the second baseman"
9. hit onto the ground
10. cover with a primer; apply a primer to
    • synonyms: prime, undercoat
11. connect to a ground
    • "ground the electrical connections for safety reasons"
12. use as a basis for; found on
    • "base a claim on some observation"
    • synonyms: base, establish, found