Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb & adjective Onto or on a shore, reef, or the bottom of a body of water.
  • adverb & adjective On the ground.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • On the ground; stranded: a nautical term signifying that the bottom of a ship rests on the ground for want of sufficient depth of water: opposed to afloat.
  • Figuratively, brought to a stop for want of resources, matter, and the like: as, the speaker is aground.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb On the ground; stranded; -- a nautical term applied to a ship when its bottom lodges on the ground.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective nautical Resting on the bottom. (refers only to floating craft).
  • adjective obsolete, slang Stuck fast, stopped, at a loss, ruined; like a boat or vessel aground.
  • adverb nautical Resting on the bottom. (refers only to floating craft).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb with the bottom lodged on the ground
  • adjective stuck in a place where a ship can no longer float

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English agrounde, on grounde ("on ground"), equivalent to a- +‎ ground.

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Examples

  • Running aground occurs when the navigator misreads the chart, the skipper tries to cut a corner on a harbor entrance, there is silting moving of soft sand and mud at a harbor mouth, or the tide table is misinterpreted.

    Sailing Fundamentals Gary Jobson 1998

  • Running aground occurs when the navigator misreads the chart, the skipper tries to cut a corner on a harbor entrance, there is silting moving of soft sand and mud at a harbor mouth, or the tide table is misinterpreted.

    Sailing Fundamentals Gary Jobson 1998

  • Paul wasn't able to implement collision detection (for this release), so the ship doesn't go "aground" when you hit the shore - maybe it will in the "Pro" version.

    Planet Geospatial 2009

  • If the ship is aground, which is likely enough, for the captain pushed up farther than we thought possible, they will be pretty safe when they have once got past her. "

    Among Malay Pirates : a Tale of Adventure and Peril 1867

  • Preliminary indications suggest "significant human error" by the captain may have been to blame for the Costa Concordia cruise ship running aground, its owner Costa Cruises said in a statement.

    Cruise ship scene marked by modern totem of disaster in medieval harbour 2012

  • Maritime authorities and salvage crews had removed most of the thick, toxic fuel oil and nearly 400 containers from the ship, which ran aground in calm conditions on 5 October.

    Stern of cargo ship Rena sinking off New Zealand 2012

  • A honeymooning couple have been rescued from the submerged Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia more than 24 hours after it ran aground off the coast of Tuscany.

    Couple rescued from submerged ship Costa Concordia 2012

  • The 20-year-old was on stage performing a magic show when the ship ran aground.

    Costa Concordia: British passengers tell of escape 2012

  • A passenger from South Korea walks with Italian firefighters after being rescued from the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia which ran aground the tiny Tuscan island of Giglio Photograph: Gregorio Borgia/AP

    Couple rescued from submerged ship Costa Concordia 2012

  • Hours earlier, at 1.30am on Sunday morning, rescuers had followed cries for help to cabin No 838, where they found South Korean newlyweds Hye Jim Jeong and Kideok Han, who had chosen the Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon, boarding at Civitavecchia less than three hours before the ship went aground.

    Italian cruise ship owners question captain's judgment 2012

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