/ English Dictionary

GROUND

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface

Synonyms:

flat coat; ground; primer; primer coat; priming; priming coat; undercoat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

coat of paint (a layer of paint covering something else)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

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

Derivation:

ground (cover with a primer; apply a primer to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

surface (the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary)

Domain category:

art; artistic creation; artistic production (the creation of beautiful or significant things)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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; ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

connecter; connection; connective; connector; connexion (an instrumentality that connects)

Domain category:

electricity (a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons)

Derivation:

ground (connect to a ground)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

percept; perception; perceptual experience (the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept)

Antonym:

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

Sense 5

Meaning:

The part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground

Example:

he posed her against a background of rolling hills

Synonyms:

background; ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

aspect; panorama; prospect; scene; view; vista (the visual percept of a region)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)

Example:

they fought to regain the lost ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

military position; position (a point occupied by troops for tactical reasons)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A rational motive for a belief or action

Example:

the grounds for their declaration

Synonyms:

ground; reason

Classified under:

Nouns denoting goals

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

rational motive (a motive that can be defended by reasoning or logical argument)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

occasion (reason)

account; score (grounds)

wherefore; why (the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase 'the whys and wherefores')

Derivation:

ground (use as a basis for; found on)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The solid part of the earth's surface

Example:

he dropped the logs on the ground

Synonyms:

dry land; earth; ground; land; solid ground; terra firma

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

object; physical object (a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow)

Part meronym:

earth; globe; world (the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

wonderland (a place or scene of great or strange beauty or wonder)

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

champaign; field; plain (extensive tract of level open land)

peninsula (a large mass of land projecting into a body of water)

oxbow (the land inside an oxbow bend in a river)

neck (a narrow elongated projecting strip of land)

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

land mass; landmass (a large continuous extent of land)

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

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

forest; timber; timberland; woodland (land that is covered with trees and shrubs)

foreland (land forming the forward margin of something)

floor (the ground on which people and animals move about)

coastal plain (a plain adjacent to a coast)

cape; ness (a strip of land projecting into a body of water)

beachfront (a strip of land running along a beach)

archipelago (a group of many islands in a large body of water)

Instance hyponyms:

America (North America and South America and Central America)

Derivation:

ground (hit onto the ground)

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

ground (place or put on the ground)

ground (confine or restrict to the ground)

ground (hit or reach the ground)

ground (bring to the ground)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)

Example:

good agricultural soil

Synonyms:

ground; land; soil

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

object; physical object (a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

wetland (a low area where the land is saturated with water)

greensward; sod; sward; turf (surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots)

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

rangeland (land suitable for grazing livestock)

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

permafrost (ground that is permanently frozen)

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

cultivated land; farmland; ploughland; plowland; tillage; tilled land; tilth (arable land that is worked by plowing and sowing and raising crops)

coastland (land in a coastal area)

bottom; bottomland (low-lying alluvial land near a river)

badlands (deeply eroded barren land)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A relation that provides the foundation for something

Example:

he worked on an interim basis

Synonyms:

basis; footing; ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

foundation (the basis on which something is grounded)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

common ground (a basis agreed to by all parties for reaching a mutual understanding)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface

Example:

they dug into the earth outside the church

Synonyms:

earth; ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("ground" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ground"):

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)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Use as a basis for; found on

Example:

base a claim on some observation

Synonyms:

base; establish; found; ground

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "ground"):

build (found or ground)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

ground (a rational motive for a belief or action)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

instruct; learn; teach (impart skills or knowledge to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Connect to a ground

Example:

ground the electrical connections for safety reasons

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

connect; link; link up; tie (connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "ground"):

earth (connect to the earth)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

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

grounding (fastening electrical equipment to earth)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Fix firmly and stably

Example:

anchor the lamppost in concrete

Synonyms:

anchor; ground

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Cover with a primer; apply a primer to

Synonyms:

ground; prime; undercoat

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

paint (apply paint to; coat with paint)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

They want to ground the doors

Derivation:

ground (the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Hit onto the ground

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Verb group:

ground (hit a groundball)

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

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Hit a groundball

Example:

he grounded to the second baseman

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Verb group:

ground (hit onto the ground)

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Sentence frame:

It is ----ing

Derivation:

grounder ((baseball) a hit that travels along the ground)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

throw (propel through the air)

Verb group:

ground (hit onto the ground)

Domain category:

football; football game (any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Place or put on the ground

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Confine or restrict to the ground

Example:

After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

confine; constrain; hold; restrain (to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Hit or reach the ground

Synonyms:

ground; run aground

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

arrive at; attain; gain; hit; make; reach (reach a destination, either real or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Bring to the ground

Example:

the storm grounded the ship

Synonyms:

ground; run aground; strand

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "ground" is one way to...):

land (bring ashore)

Cause:

ground; run aground (hit or reach the ground)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ground (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Credits

 Context examples: 

He was in a savage temper, and, standing over six feet from the ground, was as formidable an antagonist as even Buck could desire.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Issue associated with an undesirable descent of a device component due to the force of gravity, usually from a higher to a lower level, usually the ground or floor.

(Fall of Medical Device Component, Food and Drug Administration)

The addition of energy to a system, thereby transferring it from its ground state to an excited state.

(Excitation, NCI Thesaurus)

The cells, ground substance, and tissue fluid represent a minor component.

(Dense Connective Tissue, NCI Thesaurus)

So great and unprepared a change pointed to madness; but in view of Lanyon’s manner and words, there must lie for it some deeper ground.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The Glen of Imaal Terrier is a sturdy dog that resembles the Welsh Corgi - a short legged dog that is low to the ground with a long body.

(Glen of Imaal Terrier, NCI Thesaurus)

Both the root and the above-ground part have been used to make herbal medicines.

(Herba Scutellaria Barbata, NCI Dictionary)

Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) Walking: are you able to walk outdoors on flat ground?

(HAQ-DI - Able to Walk Outdoors On Flat Ground, NCI Thesaurus)

Issue associated with the inability to connect conductors of an electronic system for the purpose of controlling or impeding ground currents and voltages.

(Grounding Malfunction Medical Device Problem, Food and Drug Administration)

A type of connective tissue composed of chondrocytes and an extracellular matrix, composed of collagen, elastin, and ground substance.

(Cartilage, NCI Thesaurus)

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