aground
adverb /əˈɡraʊnd/
/əˈɡraʊnd/
- if a ship runs/goes aground, it touches the ground in shallow water and cannot move
- The oil tanker ran/went aground off the Spanish coast.
- (figurative) He was unwilling to accept that his corporate strategy had run aground.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘on the ground’): from a- ‘on’ + ground.