1 B2 neutral
(Baseball) To be put out after hitting a ball along the ground, which a fielder throws to first base before the batter arrives.
"The cleanup batter grounded out to shortstop to end the inning."
ground out
B2 neutral intransitive
In baseball, to be put out by hitting a ground ball; more broadly, to come to a halt or fail to advance.
In plain English
In baseball: to hit the ball along the ground so that a fielder throws you out before you reach base. More generally: to slow down and stop.
What does "ground out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic neutral
To come to a halt or fail to make further progress.
"The negotiations seemed to ground out after both sides refused to make concessions."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To hit the ball to the ground and be put out — largely transparent in baseball context.
Actually means
In baseball: to hit the ball along the ground so that a fielder throws you out before you reach base. More generally: to slow down and stop.
Usage tip
Primarily a baseball term. The broader figurative sense (a plan or conversation grinding out / coming to a halt) is less common and may overlap with 'grind out.' Mostly used in American English sports contexts.
Words that pair with "ground out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
shortstop second base inning pitcher at-bat
How to conjugate "ground out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
ground out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
grounds out
he/she/it
Past simple
grounded out
yesterday
Past participle
grounded out
have + pp
-ing form
grounding out
continuous
Hear "ground out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "ground out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "ground out"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
be thrown out come to a stop hit into a groundout stall
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