aground

Imagine a ship sailing happily along and then suddenly… thump. It has *run aground*! This means it has hit the bottom in shallow water and is stuck on the seabed, a sandbar, or the shore. While "aground" is primarily a nautical term, it isn't just for boats.

Think of a whale that beaches itself—that is definitely aground. Figuratively, plans and conversations can *run aground when they get stuck and can’t move forward. A political debate might run aground* on a single controversial point. It describes a journey that has come to a jarring, premature halt: "The project ran aground due to a sudden lack of funding."

To *run aground—or to be aground—means to strike the bottom (or a shoal) and end up stuck in water that’s too shallow to stay afloat. It implies being firmly and often helplessly* stuck: "The fishing vessel ran aground during the storm and had to be towed to safety."

Originally, "aground" literally meant "on the ground." In modern English, though, it’s distinct from "grounded" (which is used for planes, electrical systems, or teenagers). "Aground" is almost exclusively nautical in its literal sense: "The ship is aground."

However, the word has a rich figurative life! You can use it to describe abstract things—like careers, negotiations, or plans—that encounter an obstacle and stop progressing. For example, "Their negotiations ran aground when they couldn't agree on the final price."

The phrase "high and dry" is often associated with running aground, emphasizing the helpless nature of the situation. Just as a ship needs a rising tide or a tugboat to get free, a project that has run aground usually requires outside intervention to get moving again.