"go to ground" meaning in All languages combined

See go to ground on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Audio: en-au-go to ground.ogg Forms: goes to ground [present, singular, third-person], going to ground [participle, present], went to ground [past], gone to ground [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|go<goes,,went,gone> to ground}} go to ground (third-person singular simple present goes to ground, present participle going to ground, simple past went to ground, past participle gone to ground)
  1. (intransitive, especially of an animal, chiefly UK) To escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted. Tags: UK, especially, intransitive
    Sense id: en-go_to_ground-en-verb-1Cb5IbBH Categories (other): British English
  2. (idiomatic, by extension, chiefly UK) To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one. Tags: UK, broadly, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-go_to_ground-en-verb-B3QLeLcS Categories (other): British English, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 39 28 21 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 11 50 22 17 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 7 52 22 18
  3. (intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul Tags: UK, intransitive Categories (topical): Sports Related terms: incommunicado, go underground
    Sense id: en-go_to_ground-en-verb-G4EtJtjm Categories (other): British English Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports
  4. (intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) (of the ball) to touch the ground; to be dropped Tags: UK, intransitive Categories (topical): Sports
    Sense id: en-go_to_ground-en-verb-ChW53Rl1 Categories (other): British English Topics: hobbies, lifestyle, sports

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "goes to ground",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "going to ground",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "went to ground",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gone to ground",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "go<goes,,went,gone> to ground"
      },
      "expansion": "go to ground (third-person singular simple present goes to ground, present participle going to ground, simple past went to ground, past participle gone to ground)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The fox escaped from the hounds by going to ground.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1912, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 19, in Marie:",
          "text": "I heard them on the other bank, and then saw a man on a horse crossing the river, and went to ground like a jackal.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted."
      ],
      "id": "en-go_to_ground-en-verb-1Cb5IbBH",
      "links": [
        [
          "escape",
          "escape"
        ],
        [
          "burrow",
          "burrow"
        ],
        [
          "hole",
          "hole"
        ],
        [
          "hunted",
          "hunted"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, especially of an animal, chiefly UK) To escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of an animal"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "especially",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 39 28 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 50 22 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 52 22 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Arthur Griffiths, chapter 11, in The Passenger from Calais:",
          "text": "It was more than enough for my fugitives to clear out of the Lausanne station and make some new move, to hide away in an out-of-the-way spot, go to ground in fact, or travel in another direction.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 January 24, Vivienne Walt, “France's $7.2 Billion Hit”, in Time:",
          "text": "Kerviel's identity was revealed on the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph websites, but was not confirmed by bank officials, who admitted on Thursday that the rogue trader appeared to have gone to ground and that they had no idea where he was.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one."
      ],
      "id": "en-go_to_ground-en-verb-B3QLeLcS",
      "links": [
        [
          "hide",
          "hide"
        ],
        [
          "public",
          "public"
        ],
        [
          "sequester",
          "sequester"
        ],
        [
          "authorities",
          "authority"
        ],
        [
          "news media",
          "news media"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, by extension, chiefly UK) To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "broadly",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sports",
          "orig": "en:Sports",
          "parents": [
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002 October 21, Andy Wilson, “Lowes rages as Saints clinch title thriller”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "There can never have been a more blatant voluntary tackle than the way the Saints captain Chris Joynt went to ground on the penultimate play of the game, to deny Bradford any chance of regaining possession after Sean Long's drop goal 30 seconds or so earlier.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004 May 10, Andy Gray, “The pace, power and desire to conquer all”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "He defends well and his recovery is good, meaning he can get up and get back at people if he goes to ground.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 January 18, David Lacey, “FA has made dealing with dangerous lunges harder for refs to tackle”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "The sort of tackle which continues to be questioned is the bulldozing type which often occurs when a defender goes to ground as he makes the challenge.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 April 12, Dominic Fifield, “Those who call me a diver are jumping on the bandwagon, says Wilfried Zaha”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Wilfried Zaha has dismissed suggestions he goes to ground too easily and accused those who brand him a diver of “jumping on the bandwagon” as the Ivory Coast winger seeks to edge Crystal Palace closer to safety with victory in the derby against Brighton on Saturday.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul"
      ],
      "id": "en-go_to_ground-en-verb-G4EtJtjm",
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "fall",
          "fall"
        ],
        [
          "footing",
          "footing"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul"
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "12 20 48 20",
          "word": "incommunicado"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 20 48 20",
          "word": "go underground"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sports",
          "orig": "en:Sports",
          "parents": [
            "Human activity",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 September 11, Tom Bryant, “Rugby World Cup 2011: Ireland 22-10 USA - as it happened”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Ireland get the next put in. They could, and probably should, put the screws on the US now as their fitness and technique begins to tell. [...] Instead, the ball goes to ground as it wings its way down the Irish line. It doesn't go forward though, so they keep on pushing up the pitch.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 May 8, Gerard Meagher, “Finn Russell’s stunner for Racing 92 knocks Sale out of Champions Cup”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "What was, in truth, a pretty dreadful first half came to life in the final minute when a wayward pass from De Klerk went to ground behind Tuilagi, who gathered, spun, spotted a gap left by overzealous Racing defenders and breezed under the posts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 May 30, Tanya Aldred, “England v Pakistan: fourth men’s T20 cricket international – as it happened”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Iftikhar slams the next but it goes to ground just short of Jordan at long on.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "(of the ball) to touch the ground; to be dropped"
      ],
      "id": "en-go_to_ground-en-verb-ChW53Rl1",
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) (of the ball) to touch the ground; to be dropped"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-go to ground.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/43/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "go to ground"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "goes to ground",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "going to ground",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "went to ground",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gone to ground",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "go<goes,,went,gone> to ground"
      },
      "expansion": "go to ground (third-person singular simple present goes to ground, present participle going to ground, simple past went to ground, past participle gone to ground)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "incommunicado"
    },
    {
      "word": "go underground"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The fox escaped from the hounds by going to ground.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1912, H. Rider Haggard, chapter 19, in Marie:",
          "text": "I heard them on the other bank, and then saw a man on a horse crossing the river, and went to ground like a jackal.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "escape",
          "escape"
        ],
        [
          "burrow",
          "burrow"
        ],
        [
          "hole",
          "hole"
        ],
        [
          "hunted",
          "hunted"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, especially of an animal, chiefly UK) To escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of an animal"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "especially",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1906, Arthur Griffiths, chapter 11, in The Passenger from Calais:",
          "text": "It was more than enough for my fugitives to clear out of the Lausanne station and make some new move, to hide away in an out-of-the-way spot, go to ground in fact, or travel in another direction.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008 January 24, Vivienne Walt, “France's $7.2 Billion Hit”, in Time:",
          "text": "Kerviel's identity was revealed on the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph websites, but was not confirmed by bank officials, who admitted on Thursday that the rogue trader appeared to have gone to ground and that they had no idea where he was.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hide",
          "hide"
        ],
        [
          "public",
          "public"
        ],
        [
          "sequester",
          "sequester"
        ],
        [
          "authorities",
          "authority"
        ],
        [
          "news media",
          "news media"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, by extension, chiefly UK) To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "broadly",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Sports"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2002 October 21, Andy Wilson, “Lowes rages as Saints clinch title thriller”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "There can never have been a more blatant voluntary tackle than the way the Saints captain Chris Joynt went to ground on the penultimate play of the game, to deny Bradford any chance of regaining possession after Sean Long's drop goal 30 seconds or so earlier.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2004 May 10, Andy Gray, “The pace, power and desire to conquer all”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "He defends well and his recovery is good, meaning he can get up and get back at people if he goes to ground.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 January 18, David Lacey, “FA has made dealing with dangerous lunges harder for refs to tackle”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "The sort of tackle which continues to be questioned is the bulldozing type which often occurs when a defender goes to ground as he makes the challenge.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2018 April 12, Dominic Fifield, “Those who call me a diver are jumping on the bandwagon, says Wilfried Zaha”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Wilfried Zaha has dismissed suggestions he goes to ground too easily and accused those who brand him a diver of “jumping on the bandwagon” as the Ivory Coast winger seeks to edge Crystal Palace closer to safety with victory in the derby against Brighton on Saturday.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ],
        [
          "fall",
          "fall"
        ],
        [
          "footing",
          "footing"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Sports"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2011 September 11, Tom Bryant, “Rugby World Cup 2011: Ireland 22-10 USA - as it happened”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Ireland get the next put in. They could, and probably should, put the screws on the US now as their fitness and technique begins to tell. [...] Instead, the ball goes to ground as it wings its way down the Irish line. It doesn't go forward though, so they keep on pushing up the pitch.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 May 8, Gerard Meagher, “Finn Russell’s stunner for Racing 92 knocks Sale out of Champions Cup”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "What was, in truth, a pretty dreadful first half came to life in the final minute when a wayward pass from De Klerk went to ground behind Tuilagi, who gathered, spun, spotted a gap left by overzealous Racing defenders and breezed under the posts.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2024 May 30, Tanya Aldred, “England v Pakistan: fourth men’s T20 cricket international – as it happened”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Iftikhar slams the next but it goes to ground just short of Jordan at long on.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "(of the ball) to touch the ground; to be dropped"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sports",
          "sports"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, sports, chiefly UK) (of the ball) to touch the ground; to be dropped"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "hobbies",
        "lifestyle",
        "sports"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-go to ground.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/43/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/En-au-go_to_ground.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "go to ground"
}

Download raw JSONL data for go to ground meaning in All languages combined (6.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (c15a5ce and 5c11237). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.