grounds
n. C / Un. the reasons or facts that give you a good excuse to do or believe something. You use this when you need to justify a serious decision.
n. the logical or legal basis for an action, belief, or argument. Often used in formal contexts to specify the justification for a claim or a decision.
The company had legal grounds to fire the employee.
The judge dismissed the case because there were no reasonable grounds for the lawsuit.
The committee rejected the proposal on the grounds that it failed to address the environmental impact, citing several specific violations of local regulations.
Commonly used in the plural form when referring to justification; often followed by the preposition 'for' or the phrase 'on the grounds that'.
on the ground thaton the grounds thatWhen used to mean 'reason' or 'justification', the word is almost always plural in this fixed expression.