break ground

phrase

1
: to begin construction
breaking ground on a new wing of the hospital
2
or break new ground : to make or show discoveries : pioneer

Examples of break ground in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Symphony plans new Plaza venue The Kansas City Symphony plans to break ground in 2026 on a new 4,600-seat concert venue near the Country Club Plaza. — Neil Nakahodo, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026 Joshua Wood, co-founder of the development firm behind the Downtown Dova project, said his firm hopes to break ground by year’s end, so the arena may host its first games in the first quarter of 2028. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026 SpaceX is working to get three Starship pads up and running on Florida's Space Coast, and the company aims to break ground on a $100 billion, 12-pad complex in Louisiana next year. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026 When Denver broke ground on the construction of its new airport some four decades ago, the city strung something of an albatross around its neck as the megaproject proved to be difficult to birth. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for break ground

Word History

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of break ground was in 1673

Rhymes for break ground

See All Rhymes for break ground

Browse Nearby Words

breakfront
break ground
breakhead
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Break ground.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/break%20ground. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All