grounds Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
   evidence.
   
   • the evidence that smoking causes lung cancer is very compelling
2. noun the enclosed land around a house or other building
   curtilage; yard.
   
   • it was a small house with almost no yard
3. noun a tract of land cleared for some special purposes (recreation or burial etc.)
   
4. noun a justification for something existing or happening
   reason; cause.
   
   • he had no cause to complain
   • they had good reason to rejoice
5. noun dregs consisting of solid particles (especially of coffee) that form a residue
   
   • it is a Middle Eastern custom to read your future in your coffee grounds
6. noun the solid part of the earth's surface
   dry land; land; terra firma; earth; solid ground; ground.
   
   • 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
7. noun a rational motive for a belief or action
   reason; ground.
   
   • the reason that war was declared
   • the grounds for their declaration
8. noun the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
   earth; ground.
   
   • they dug into the earth outside the church
9. noun a relation that provides the foundation for something
   ground; footing; basis.
   
   • they were on a friendly footing
   • he worked on an interim basis
10. noun a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)
    ground.
    
    • they gained ground step by step
    • they fought to regain the lost ground
11. noun the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
    background; ground.
    
    • he posed her against a background of rolling hills
12. noun material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
    soil; land; ground.
    
    • the land had never been plowed
    • good agricultural soil
13. noun a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
    ground.
    
14. noun a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)
    earth; ground.
    
15. noun (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
    ground.
    
16. noun the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
    ground; primer coat; flat coat; undercoat; priming coat; primer; priming.
    
17. verb fix firmly and stably
    anchor; ground.
    
    • anchor the lamppost in concrete
18. verb confine or restrict to the ground
    ground.
    
    • After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot
19. verb place or put on the ground
    ground.
    
20. verb instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
    ground.
    
21. verb bring to the ground
    run aground; strand; ground.
    
    • the storm grounded the ship
22. verb hit or reach the ground
    run aground; ground.
    
23. verb throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
    ground.
    
24. verb hit a groundball
    ground.
    
    • he grounded to the second baseman
25. verb hit onto the ground
    ground.
    
26. verb cover with a primer; apply a primer to
    prime; undercoat; ground.
    
27. verb connect to a ground
    ground.
    
    • ground the electrical connections for safety reasons
28. verb use as a basis for; found on
    found; base; establish; ground.
    
    • base a claim on some observation

WordNet