ground

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”

a rational motive for a belief or action

• “the reason that war was declared”
• “the grounds for their declaration”

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”
• “he worked on an interim basis”

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”

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”
• “good agricultural soil”

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

a connection between an electrical device and the earth (which is a 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

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”

broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or stone

• “paved with crushed bluestone”
• “ground glass is used as an abrasive”