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grounds

When referring to land around a building or the reasons for an action, "grounds" is almost always used in the plural form. In the context of coffee, "grounds" is also typically plural and refers to the waste material left over after brewing. As a verb, "ground" is irregular. The past tense and past participle are both "grounded" (e.g., "He was grounded for a week").

💬Casual Conversation

🎬Tuesday afternoon, Victoria is in a high-stakes board meeting while Mr. Sterling is wandering his estate.
Mr. Sterling

Victoria, the energy on these grounds is stagnant. We must move the HQ here.

Mr. Sterling
Victoria
Victoria

I'm knee-deep in the audit, sir. Please don't pivot now.

💡
Mr. Sterling uses 'grounds' to refer to the land surrounding his estate. Victoria uses the idiom 'knee-deep' to indicate she is heavily overwhelmed with work and 'pivot' as corporate slang for changing direction abruptly.

Meanings

noun

The area of land surrounding a building, especially a large house.

"The manor house is surrounded by ten acres of beautifully landscaped grounds."

noun

Solid reasons or a logical basis for believing something or taking a certain action.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspect is hiding in the city."

noun

The dregs of brewed coffee left in the filter or cup.

"She recycled the used coffee grounds as fertilizer for her garden."

verb (transitive)

To punish a child or teenager by forbidding them from going out or participating in social activities.

"The parents decided to ground their son for a week after he failed his exams."

verb (transitive)

To base an argument, theory, or action on a particular set of facts or principles.

"You must ground your claims in empirical evidence to be taken seriously by the committee."

verb (intransitive)

Of an aircraft: to be prevented from flying for safety or disciplinary reasons.

"The entire fleet was grounded due to a technical fault in the engine."

Last Updated: May 22, 2026Report an Error