ground-floor
ground-floor — noun
1. the floor in a building that you can enter directly from the street or the land
the floor in a building that you can enter directly from the street or the land outside
The dentist moved to the ground floor so older patients could avoid the stairs.
move to the ground floor for easier access
Our science lab is on the ground floor, next to the main entrance.
on the ground floor + place in a building
Harper waited on the ground floor while the driver parked the van.
During the fire drill, every class on the ground floor left the building first.
- first floor
American English for the street-level storey
- street level
focuses on height beside the street, not always the whole floor
- upper floor
any floor above it
- basement
a level below the ground outside
文法句型
on the ground floor
the ground floor of [building]
用法筆記
Often used when access from the street matters. In British English this is the usual term for the street-level storey, while American English often uses 'first floor' for the same level.
常見錯誤
2. the chance to join a new business or activity at the beginning, before it become
the chance to join a new business or activity at the beginning, before it becomes successful or crowded
Rafael bought shares early because he wanted to get in on the ground floor.
get in on the ground floor
Aylin joined the tutoring app on the ground floor, before city schools signed up.
join on the ground floor of a growing project
Christopher missed the ground floor of online streaming but invested early in podcasts.
The bakery franchise offered Owen a chance to get in on the ground floor.
- early opportunity
plain description without the building metaphor
- head start
focuses more on being ahead of others after starting
- late entry
joining after the best chances are gone
文法句型
get in on the ground floor
join on the ground floor
the ground floor of [business or trend]
用法筆記
Most often appears in business or investment talk, especially in 'get in on the ground floor'. It suggests joining early enough to benefit later if the idea grows.
常見錯誤
ground-floor — adjective
1. located on a building's street-level floor, or connected with that part of the b
located on a building's street-level floor, or connected with that part of the building
The hotel gave us a ground-floor room near the garden gate.
ground-floor + room
A broken pipe flooded the ground-floor shop during Saturday's heavy rain.
ground-floor + shop
Indra chose a ground-floor flat so the grandparents would not need stairs.
The museum added metal bars to its ground-floor windows after the break-in.
- street-level
often used for places that open straight onto the street
- first-floor
American English equivalent in many building contexts
- upper-floor
on a higher level of the building
文法句型
ground-floor flat
ground-floor office
ground-floor window
用法筆記
Usually comes before nouns such as room, flat, office, shop, and window. It often suggests easy access from outside, but it can also imply less privacy or more street noise.