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go to ground

(intransitive, mostly, UK) Of an animal, to escape into a burrow, hole, etc.

ˈɡoʊ ˈtu ˈɡɹaʊnd29 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(intransitive, mostly, UK) Of an animal, to escape into a burrow, hole, etc. when being hunted.

The fox escaped from the hounds by going to ground.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(idiomatic, by extension) To hide from public view or sequester oneself, especially when authorities, members of the news media, or others are looking for one.

I heard them on the other bank, and then saw a man on a horse crossing the river, and went to ground like a jackal.
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK

(intransitive, sports, mostly, UK) To fall to the ground, lose one's footing, come off one's feet, whether by design, accident, or foul.

It was more than enough for my fugitives to clear out of the Lausanne station and make some new move, to hide away in an out-of-the-way spot, go to ground in fact, or travel in another direction.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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