Phrase guide

run aground

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌrʌn əˈɡraʊnd/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To be immobilized by water too shallow to allow it to float.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The ship ran aground and had to be towed back out to sea.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cause (a vessel) to be immobilized by water too shallow to allow it to float.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The drunken helmsman ran the ship aground.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

hit or reach the ground

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ground

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reach, make, attain, hit, arrive at, gain

4

verb

Meaning 4

bring to the ground

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the storm grounded the ship

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ground, strand

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: land

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: засядам (zasjadam) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Catalan: embarrancar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Catalan: encallar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Catalan: embancar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擱淺 /搁浅 (gēqiǎn) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Danish: strande — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Dutch: stranden — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Dutch: vastlopen — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Esperanto: grundi — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Finnish: ajautua karille — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Finnish: kariutua — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • French: échouer — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Galician: embarrancar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Galician: encallar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Galician: varar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • German: auf Grund laufen — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • German: auflaufen — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Greek: εξοκέλλω (exokéllo) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Hebrew: עָלַה עַל שִׂרְטוֹן (ala al sirton) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Hungarian: zátonyra fut — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Hungarian: megfeneklik — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Italian: incagliarsi — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Italian: arenarsi — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Korean: 좌초되다 (jwachodoeda) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Norman: couôrre à tèrre — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Norman: êchouer — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Polish: osiadać na mieliźnie — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Polish: osiąść na mieliźnie — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Portuguese: encalhar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Russian: сади́ться на мель (sadítʹsja na melʹ) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Serbo-Croatian: nasukati se — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Spanish: encallar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Spanish: varar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Spanish: zabordar — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Swedish: gå på grund — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Swedish: stranda — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Tagalog: sumadsad — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Tagalog: sumagadsad — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Turkish: karaya oturmak — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Ottoman Turkish: اوتورمق (oturmak) — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Vietnamese: mắc cạn — to be immobilized by shallow water
  • Esperanto: grundigi — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Finnish: ajaa karille — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Finnish: kariuttaa — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Galician: embarrancar — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Galician: encallar — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Galician: varar — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • German: auf Grund setzen — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • German: auf Grund laufen lassen — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Hungarian: zátonyra futtat — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Polish: osadzać na mieliźnie — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Polish: osadzić na mieliźnie — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Spanish: encallar — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Swedish: stranda — to cause a vessel to run aground
  • Turkish: karaya oturtmak — to cause a vessel to run aground