See boots on the ground in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for boots on the ground meaning in English (8.4kB)
{
"etymology_text": "US 1980. Attributed to United States General Volney F. Warner, as quoted in the Christian Science Monitor (April 11, 1980) in reference to the Iranian Hostage Crisis:",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"head": "boots on the ground"
},
"expansion": "boots on the ground pl (plural only)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2015, Christian Clason, Glastica",
"text": "He did not make much of an entrance, he just made his way over to the edge of the lake and plopped his boots on the ground.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1980 April 11, John K. Cooley, “US rapid strike force: How to get there first with the most”, in Christian Science Monitor",
"text": "US options grow more difficults as the chance of a Soviet response increases. However, many American strategists now argue that even light, token US land forces -- \"getting US combat boots on the ground,\" as General Warner puts it -- would signal to an enemy that the US is physically guarding the area and can only be dislodged at the risk of war.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see boots, on, ground."
],
"id": "en-boots_on_the_ground-en-noun-ugRumk4F",
"links": [
[
"boots",
"boots#English"
],
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"ground",
"ground#English"
]
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "40 23 23 4 9",
"word": "facts on the ground"
},
{
"_dis1": "40 23 23 4 9",
"word": "feet on the ground"
}
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English metonyms",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Military",
"orig": "en:Military",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "1 22 29 28 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 21 26 25 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground."
}
],
"glosses": [
"The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes."
],
"id": "en-boots_on_the_ground-en-noun-WWxcrRPc",
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"ground",
"ground"
],
[
"forces",
"forces"
],
[
"fighting",
"fighting"
],
[
"war",
"war"
],
[
"conflict",
"conflict"
],
[
"troops",
"troops"
],
[
"engaged",
"engaged"
],
[
"air strike",
"air strike"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, metonymically) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes."
],
"tags": [
"metonymically",
"plural",
"plural-only"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English metonyms",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Military",
"orig": "en:Military",
"parents": [
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "1 22 29 28 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 21 31 23 22",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 30 39 15 12",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English pluralia tantum",
"parents": [
"Pluralia tantum",
"Nouns",
"Lemmas"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 21 26 25 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2012, Georgia McDade, Outside the Cave II, page 30",
"text": "So often boots on the ground is the American Way.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Helene Dieck, The Influence of Public Opinion on Post-Cold War U.S. Military Interventions",
"text": "At the same time, when options are considered, political parties and the media are interested in knowing whether boots on the ground is an option put on the table.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.",
"The military policy of using ground forces."
],
"id": "en-boots_on_the_ground-en-noun-lEDQoDxZ",
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"ground",
"ground"
],
[
"forces",
"forces"
],
[
"fighting",
"fighting"
],
[
"war",
"war"
],
[
"conflict",
"conflict"
],
[
"troops",
"troops"
],
[
"engaged",
"engaged"
],
[
"air strike",
"air strike"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, metonymically) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.",
"The military policy of using ground forces."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "1 36 49 8 5",
"sense": "ground forces",
"topics": [
"military",
"war",
"government",
"politics"
],
"word": "BOG"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 11 80 3 3",
"sense": "military policy",
"word": "landpower"
}
],
"tags": [
"metonymically",
"plural",
"plural-only"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "1 22 29 28 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 21 26 25 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "18 23 23 35 1",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "People",
"orig": "en:People",
"parents": [
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2009, Elizabeth H. Dow, Electronic Records in the Manuscript Repository, page ix",
"text": "Eyes on the page matter, but nothing goes forward without boots on the ground. In my case, students wore the boots that mattered most. Jennifer Greer, a former student who worked for a records management consulting service, agreed to help me with the research and writing.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Norrie MacQueen, Humanitarian Intervention and the United Nations, page 133",
"text": "And while the number of international boots on the ground might have appeared to be large, spread across the vast and difficult territory of Darfur, those 20,000 troops and police looked much less adequate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, J. D. Hayworth, Joe Eule, Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, ..., page 176",
"text": "We need boots on the ground to make the border a real barrier. Ten thousand new Border Patrol agents have been authorized by Congress.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Personnel operating in an area of interest."
],
"id": "en-boots_on_the_ground-en-noun-c7b88ppM",
"links": [
[
"Personnel",
"personnel"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension) Personnel operating in an area of interest."
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Undetermined quotations with omitted translation",
"parents": [
"Quotations with omitted translation",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "1 22 29 28 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "3 21 26 25 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Michael Bordenaro (2024 March 27) “FAST FOOD LAYOFFS ARE HERE! THOUSANDS LOSING THEIR JOB...”, in Youtube,com, Youtube.com, retrieved 2024-03-27: “I'm gonna be in California this summer. And I'll definitely be doinmg some boots on the ground research on [raise in minimum wage] while I'm there.”"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To be physically present at a place of interest in order to discover the current situation."
],
"id": "en-boots_on_the_ground-en-noun-SVIF7fqK",
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
}
],
"word": "boots on the ground"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English pluralia tantum",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"en:People"
],
"etymology_text": "US 1980. Attributed to United States General Volney F. Warner, as quoted in the Christian Science Monitor (April 11, 1980) in reference to the Iranian Hostage Crisis:",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "p",
"head": "boots on the ground"
},
"expansion": "boots on the ground pl (plural only)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "facts on the ground"
},
{
"word": "feet on the ground"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2015, Christian Clason, Glastica",
"text": "He did not make much of an entrance, he just made his way over to the edge of the lake and plopped his boots on the ground.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1980 April 11, John K. Cooley, “US rapid strike force: How to get there first with the most”, in Christian Science Monitor",
"text": "US options grow more difficults as the chance of a Soviet response increases. However, many American strategists now argue that even light, token US land forces -- \"getting US combat boots on the ground,\" as General Warner puts it -- would signal to an enemy that the US is physically guarding the area and can only be dislodged at the risk of war.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see boots, on, ground."
],
"links": [
[
"boots",
"boots#English"
],
[
"on",
"on#English"
],
[
"ground",
"ground#English"
]
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English metonyms",
"en:Military"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground."
}
],
"glosses": [
"The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes."
],
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"ground",
"ground"
],
[
"forces",
"forces"
],
[
"fighting",
"fighting"
],
[
"war",
"war"
],
[
"conflict",
"conflict"
],
[
"troops",
"troops"
],
[
"engaged",
"engaged"
],
[
"air strike",
"air strike"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, metonymically) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes."
],
"tags": [
"metonymically",
"plural",
"plural-only"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English metonyms",
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Military"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2012, Georgia McDade, Outside the Cave II, page 30",
"text": "So often boots on the ground is the American Way.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Helene Dieck, The Influence of Public Opinion on Post-Cold War U.S. Military Interventions",
"text": "At the same time, when options are considered, political parties and the media are interested in knowing whether boots on the ground is an option put on the table.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.",
"The military policy of using ground forces."
],
"links": [
[
"military",
"military"
],
[
"ground",
"ground"
],
[
"forces",
"forces"
],
[
"fighting",
"fighting"
],
[
"war",
"war"
],
[
"conflict",
"conflict"
],
[
"troops",
"troops"
],
[
"engaged",
"engaged"
],
[
"air strike",
"air strike"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(military, metonymically) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.",
"The military policy of using ground forces."
],
"tags": [
"metonymically",
"plural",
"plural-only"
],
"topics": [
"government",
"military",
"politics",
"war"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2009, Elizabeth H. Dow, Electronic Records in the Manuscript Repository, page ix",
"text": "Eyes on the page matter, but nothing goes forward without boots on the ground. In my case, students wore the boots that mattered most. Jennifer Greer, a former student who worked for a records management consulting service, agreed to help me with the research and writing.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Norrie MacQueen, Humanitarian Intervention and the United Nations, page 133",
"text": "And while the number of international boots on the ground might have appeared to be large, spread across the vast and difficult territory of Darfur, those 20,000 troops and police looked much less adequate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2013, J. D. Hayworth, Joe Eule, Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, ..., page 176",
"text": "We need boots on the ground to make the border a real barrier. Ten thousand new Border Patrol agents have been authorized by Congress.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Personnel operating in an area of interest."
],
"links": [
[
"Personnel",
"personnel"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension) Personnel operating in an area of interest."
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"Undetermined quotations with omitted translation",
"Undetermined terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "Michael Bordenaro (2024 March 27) “FAST FOOD LAYOFFS ARE HERE! THOUSANDS LOSING THEIR JOB...”, in Youtube,com, Youtube.com, retrieved 2024-03-27: “I'm gonna be in California this summer. And I'll definitely be doinmg some boots on the ground research on [raise in minimum wage] while I'm there.”"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To be physically present at a place of interest in order to discover the current situation."
],
"tags": [
"plural",
"plural-only"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"sense": "ground forces",
"topics": [
"military",
"war",
"government",
"politics"
],
"word": "BOG"
},
{
"sense": "military policy",
"word": "landpower"
}
],
"word": "boots on the ground"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). 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.