noun

der Grund, ¨-e

reason

Es ist der Anlass oder die Ursache, warum etwas passiert oder gemacht wird.

Definition & meaning

Grund is a masculine German noun with several related meanings:

Reason or cause: the explanation for something or what brings it about.
Der Grund für die Verspätung war der Verkehr. — The reason for the delay was traffic.
Ground, soil, or land: the surface or earth beneath someone or something. It can also refer to a piece of land.
Bottom or bed: the deepest part of something, such as a lake.
Das Schiff sank auf den Grund des Sees. — The ship sank to the bottom of the lake.
Basis or foundation: the underlying support or basis for something.
In the phrase im Grunde—“basically” or “fundamentally.” im Grunde [?](vocabuo://word/im Grunde)

Grammar & Word origin

Grund is masculine: der Grund. Its plural is die Gründe. The word’s meaning developed from an older sense of “bottom” or “ground” to include the figurative sense of an underlying basis or reason. It is a simple, indivisible word in modern German, though it appears in compounds such as Grundstück (“plot of land”).

Synonyms & antonyms

The best synonym depends on which meaning of Grund is intended:

For “reason” or “cause”: Ursache emphasizes what causes something; Anlass is often the occasion or trigger; Motiv usually refers to a person’s motive.
For “ground” or “soil”: Boden refers more directly to the earth or surface.
For “basis” or “foundation”: Basis and Fundament stress support or a starting point.

There is no single antonym for all meanings. For “reason” in the sense of cause, Folge (“result” or “consequence”) can be contrasted with it. For “bottom,” Oberfläche (“surface”) may be an opposite.

Common phrases & collocations

der Grund für etwas [?](vocabuo://word/Grund für etwas) — the reason for something
aus gutem Grund [?](vocabuo://word/aus gutem Grund) — for good reason
auf den Grund gehen [?](vocabuo://word/auf den Grund gehen) — to investigate something thoroughly; literally, to go to the bottom of it
im Grunde genommen [?](vocabuo://word/im Grunde genommen) — essentially; when all is said and done