aground
adj. B2 Upper Intermediate US //əˈɡɹaʊnd// UK //ɐɡɹˈaʊnd// aground
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.
The small boat is stuck aground on the sand.
The captain realized the ship was aground after the tide went out and the hull scraped against the rocks.
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.
From Middle English agrounde, on grounde (“on ground”), equivalent to a- + ground.