noun
1. the floor of a building that is at or nearest to the level of the ground around the building (Freq. 4)
• Syn: ↑first floor, ↑ground level
2. becoming part of a venture at the beginning (regarded as position of advantage)
-
he got in on the ground floor
• Hypernyms: ↑beginning
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noun2. : a favorable position or privileged opportunity (as in making a speculative investment) usually on terms obtained by the original or early participants — used chiefly in the phrase in on the ground floor
he's heard of the boom along this coast, and wants to get in on the ground floor — O.Henry
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1. the floor of a building at or nearest to ground level.
2. Informal. an advantageous position or opportunity in a business matter, esp. in a new enterprise: She took the job in the new company because she wanted to get in on the ground floor.
[1595-1605]
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ground floor or ground storey noun
The floor on or near a level with the ground
• • •
Main Entry: ↑ground
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ground floor UK US noun [singular] british
the floor of a building that is at or near the level of the ground
On the ground floor of the house is the main bedroom.
a ground floor flat
Thesaurus: floors and levels of buildingshyponym
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ground floor,
1. the floor in a building that is more or less on a level with the ground outside.
2. U.S., Figurative. the beginning of a venture: »
He got in on the ground floor and made a fortune.
3. U.S., Figurative. the most advantageous position in relation to a business deal or other venture.
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In British English, the floor of a building which is level with the ground is called the ground floor. The floor above it is called the first floor, the floor above that is the second floor, and so on.
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In American English, the floor which is level with the ground is called the first floor, the floor above it is the second floor, and so on.
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So, for example, the highest floor of a three-storey building is called the second floor in British English and the third floor in American English.
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n. the floor of a building at ground level
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noun, pl ⋯ floors [count]
: the floor of a building that is at ground level — called also (US) first floor
◇ If you are/get in on the ground floor of something (such as a new business or project), you become involved in it at the very beginning.
He was able to get in on the ground floor of the computer industry.
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the floor of a building that is at the same level as the ground outside
•
a ground-floor window
•
I live on the ground floor.
Idiom: in on the ground floor
See also: ↑first floor
Synonyms:
These are all words for the surface that you walk on.
ground • (often the ground) the solid surface of the earth that you walk on:
▪ I found her lying on the ground.
◇▪ The rocket crashed a few seconds after it
▪ left the ground
▪.
land • the surface of the earth that is not sea:
▪ It was good to be back on
▪ dry land
▪ again.
◇▪ They fought both at sea and
▪ on land
▪.
earth • (often the earth) the solid surface of the world that is made of rock, soil, sand, etc:
▪ You could feel the earth shake as the truck came closer.
ground, land or earth?
Ground is the normal word for the solid surface that you walk on when you are not in a building or vehicle. You can use earth if you want to draw attention to the rock, soil etc. that the ground is made of. Land is only used when you want to contrast it with the sea: the land beneath our feet ◇ feel the land shake ◇ sight ground/earth ◇ travel by ground/earth
on/under the floor/ground/earth
bare floor/ground/earth
to drop/fall to the floor/the ground/(the) earth
to reach the floor/the ground/land
Useful english dictionary. 2012.