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to ground

to ground

4 5.5
To base an idea or action on facts
  • verb
  • /ɡraʊnd/
: basar en
  • While MEJ is not a research journal, submissions should be grounded in the professional literature.
  • grounded in research
  • well-grounded
  • grounded in principle

One further problem, too, for trying to ground science on atheism.

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Examples

  • Experience grounds our beliefs about things that haven't happened yet.

  • But I'm only interested in leads that are grounded in reality.

  • So you want to ground them in value as opposed to cost.

  • Marx wants to ground the theory in material practices, right?

  • We believe that the most important point is that evidence-based practice is grounded in the best available evidence.

    Academic text (2012)
  • But we think Roe would have been a more persuasive opinion if grounded in this social reality.

    Academic text (2017)
  • We then construct and carry out an instructional plan that is grounded in the child's theory.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Fourth, Dewey asserted that education should be grounded, guided, and understood with reference to the learner's experience.

    Academic text (2015)
  • More generally, the relationship is grounded in a shared worldview that transcends obvious ideological differences.

    Academic text (2011)
  • She always ensures her arguments are grounded in solid evidence so that they stand strong against criticism.

Synonyms

to base
vsto ground
219 3.2

To use something as a foundation or main starting point

is limited to serving as an argumentative or practical basis not an operational center
to premise
vsto ground
8 6.6

To base an argument or explanation on an idea

applies to using a basis in action rather than merely presenting it
to found
vsto ground
  • Formal
1 3.9

Base an idea or argument on evidence

is used more broadly for arguments ideas or actions
to repose on
vsto ground
  • Formal
1 8.2

To depend on something as the main basis for an idea or argument

expresses actively using something as a foundation rather than just depending on it

Idioms

into the ground
  • Informal
31 7.3

Make a person or company exhausted to the point of ruin by pushing them too hard

To build something completely from the very beginning

Feeling safe and confident after a time of doubt or worry

To deal with a larger area or more topics

5 6.8

Careful attention to the latest news and trends

To admire someone too much and ignore their faults

Completely right for someone or something

Be perfect for someone or something

Keep a morally better or stronger position in an argument

1 8.2

Make facts clear by showing proof

Treat a holy place like a temple with disrespect by damaging or polluting it

To pay close attention to what people say and do to know what is happening

Phrasal Verbs

Touch the ground after falling or being dropped

Start a project or business successfully so it begins to work

To make progress and become more successful than others

Start work on a new building or important project

16 5.7

To keep your position when others disagree

16 6.5

To damage something by using it too much or managing it badly

To get closer to a goal

To accept less than you want in a discussion to reach an agreement

1 5.4

Make someone very tired by giving them too much to do

to ground out
  • Jargon
1 7.8

To be thrown out at first base after hitting a ground ball

To completely destroy a building so nothing remains above ground

To make the ground flat for building or planting

Compounds

81 3.2

Shared ideas or interests that help people agree and work together

A refusal to change your opinion when others disagree

48 6.2

The place where a major disaster or attack happens, often the area most affected

48 3.1

A basic agreement made at the start to guide how people act

43 4.2

An agreement both sides can accept

41 4.6

The place in New York City where the World Trade Center was before the 2001 terrorist attacks

41 4.1

Soldiers and army groups that fight and work on land, not in the air or at sea

high ground
  • Informal
38 4.2

An advantage in an argument or moral debate

32 1.0

A building level at the same height as the street

24 2.4

The height of the ground outside or the floor at that height

22 1.0

Finely chopped meat from a cow used for cooking

17 1.8

Firm land you can stand on instead of water

17 3.9

A place where people are buried, like a cemetery

15 3.7

An early stage of a company or project before it grows

14 1.0

A fine spice from crushing peppercorns that adds heat to food

ground ball
  • Jargon
12 3.4

In baseball, a ball hit so it rolls or bounces on the ground

9 3.3

A group of workers who check and fix airplanes at an airport

8 3.6

A place where things start and grow, often causing trouble like crime or fake news

8 6.3

The exact place on the ground most damaged by a bomb or explosion

A place where people throw away unwanted things, often illegally

8 2.8

Water under the ground that fills spaces in soil and rock

7 7.9

A law allowing someone to use force, even deadly force, without first trying to leave when threatened

A place where animals go to mate and raise young or where problems start and grow

An area where people hunt wild animals for food or sport

A place where people try new ideas or products to see if they work

A team that talks to pilots and guides planes during landing

6 3.0

On the lowest level of a building that is level with the outside ground

An attack by soldiers on land against enemy positions

A place where people test new products, skills, or ideas to see if they work

A large flat area where soldiers march and stand for ceremonies

An area of land used for something, like a garden or park

3 3.7

Plants that grow low and spread over soil to protect it in gardens

A small animal that lives in holes in the ground and often has stripes

hunting ground
  • Informal
2 4.6

A place where people look for chances to get things they want

2 3.6

A place where a person, group, or animal feels most comfortable, often a team's regular field

air-to-ground
  • Specialized
2 4.7

Used from a plane to attack or send messages to targets on the ground

ground fire
  • Specialized
2 7.1

A slow burn in the layer of dead leaves and wood under the soil, often without visible flames

ground glass
  • Specialized
1 7.1

Glass with a rough surface that makes light softer and less bright

A place where people put up tents or park camper vans on holiday

1 9.9

A small European plant with edible tubers that look like nuts

burying ground
  • Archaic
1 6.1

An area of land with graves for dead people, like a cemetery

ground stroke
  • Jargon
1 3.5

A tennis hit made after the ball bounces once on the court

1 9.6

A very large extinct mammal with long claws that lived on land in the Americas long ago

1 6.9

A long deep wave in the sea from storms far away or earthquakes

ground effect
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A plane gets extra upward lift and less air resistance when it flies very close to the ground

1 2.3

A small piece of land used for growing plants

ground glass
  • Specialized
1 8.0

Very small pieces of glass used like sand to clean or smooth things

An event that marks the official start of building work

ground ice
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Frozen water below the ground that forms when water in soil freezes in very cold places

ground plan
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A drawing that shows the rooms on the ground floor of a building

ground state
  • Specialized
1 6.1

The lowest energy level that an atom or particle can have

1 4.5

A cloth you put under a tent to stop wetness from the ground

A shiny black or metallic beetle that lives on the ground and eats harmful insects

air-to-ground missile
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A weapon that a plane fires to hit targets on the ground

1 2.3

An outdoor place with tables where people eat and relax

A small plant that makes edible berries inside a thin paper husk

1 7.7

A low green plant that grows along the ground with round leaves and small purple flowers

pleasure ground
  • Archaic
1 5.0

A park with rides, games, and places to eat

A large squirrel that lives in burrows in far northern North America and hibernates for many months

ground noise
  • Specialized
1 6.5

Unwanted background sound or electrical hiss that hides the true signal

A plant that grows very close to the ground and spreads out

ground-service crew
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A team of mechanics who check, fix, and refuel aircraft on the ground

1 7.6

A regular payment a tenant makes to the owner for use of the land

teeing ground
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A small area at the start of a golf hole where players hit the first shot

1 8.6

A low plant like a small juniper that covers the ground in woods

ground cable
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A heavy cable that holds a buoy to an anchor on the seabed

ground bass
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A short low tune that repeats while other parts change

1 4.7

A place someone often visits or spends time in

ground wave
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A radio wave that travels along the Earth's surface and follows its curve

ground tackle
  • Specialized
1 9.1

The anchor, cables, and other equipment that keep a boat in place

1 8.6

A place where farm animals like cows or sheep lie down to sleep at night

1 9.9

A low shrub with rough stems and spreading roots that makes flat clusters of small flowers

ground loop
  • Specialized
1 9.0

A sudden uncontrolled turn a plane makes while moving on the ground

How Supported

to prove
∞ 3.1
to ground
4 5.5
to assert
217 3.9
to suggest
∞ 1.6

Surface Forms

ground infinitive
grounded past
grounded past participle
grounding present participle
grounds third person singular

Etymology

To ground an idea or decision in facts is to place it on a firm 'foundation', so the word's old meaning of 'basis' helps explain why we use it for well-supported arguments.