English Reference
Adjective

aground

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /əˈɡɹaʊnd/ UK /ɐɡɹˈaʊnd/ aground Nautical

adj.stuck on the bottom of a river, lake, or sea. You use this when a boat or ship cannot move because it is caught on sand or rocks.

adj.resting on or stuck to the bottom of a body of water. Often used predicatively after a linking verb or as a participial adjective.


SIMPLE

The small boat is stuck aground on the sand.

CONTEXTUAL

The captain realized the ship was aground after the tide went out and the hull scraped against the rocks.

COMPLEX

The vessel became aground during the sudden storm, forcing the crew to wait for the rising tide to free the hull before continuing their journey.

Ice islands from Petermann may instead travel farther before running aground.

ScienceDaily· 4 Sept 2026

A move to Besiktas which ran aground when he was forced to take action against the club (twice) for unpaid wages.

The Guardian· 7 Sept 2026

From Middle English agrounde, on grounde (“on ground”), equivalent to a- + ground.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English agrounde
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated