ground level

noun

plural ground levels

1

a

: the level of the ground taken as a reference point

From ground level, the arrayed fields of feed corn and soybeans look … like sprint tracks or Olympic pools, replete with the angles and alleys of serious tennis.

—David Foster Wallace

These survey flights were conducted at 300 feet above ground level. During the return flight to Schefferville, the aircraft descended and flew over terrain at an altitude varying between 100 and 40 feet above ground level.

—Targeted New Service

compare sea level

b

: the story (see story entry 3 sense 1a) of a building with its floor aligned to ground level : ground floor sense 1

It was a two-story house with white siding on the ground level …

—Neil Sheehan

2

: the state of a physical system (as of an atomic nucleus or an atom) having the least energy of all the possible states : ground state

Examples of ground level in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During its flight, the aircraft traveled to an altitude of almost one mile above ground level, authorities said. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024

The aircraft flew for nearly an hour, traveled to an altitude of about a mile above ground level and began in the Ocean Park public area close to the base, according to officials. —Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024

Up to 12 inches of inundation above ground level is expected in vulnerable areas near the waterfront and shoreline, with some roads and low-lying properties — including parking lots, parks, lawns and homes and businesses with basements near the waterfront — especially at risk. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 Nov. 2024

The rose will likely suffer stem dieback to near ground level or the whole plant might not survive. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1