DictionarygroundRestriction as punishment
verb

ground

To keep someone or something from leaving its present place.

Her parents ground her for sneaking out late at night.

Etymology

Ground names the earth’s surface and became a verb for keeping something on it. The restriction sense extends preventing flight to preventing a person or vehicle from leaving.

More examples

  • Heavy fog grounds all flights at the airport.
  • The airline grounded the plane until mechanics repaired its engine.
  • I'm grounded for a week, so I can't come over.

Forms

ground · grounds · grounded · grounding

Similar words

confine
Emphasizes keeping someone within a specific place or boundary.
restrict
Limits activities or movement without necessarily preventing all outings.