aground

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   onto or against the bottom of a body of water, so that a vessel can no longer move freely

   A sudden change in the channel caused the cargo ship to run aground.

2. 2
   adj

   stranded because a vessel is resting on the bottom or shore

   The fishing boat remained aground until the next high tide.

3. 3
   adj

   stuck, ruined, or unable to make further progress

   Without fresh investment, the ambitious construction plan was left aground.

Common collocations

• run aground Verb + adverb

From Middle English agrounde or on grounde, literally on the ground, later analyzed as a- + ground. Its nautical sense describes a vessel resting on the bed or shore; the figurative sense extends that physical inability to move.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images