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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

boots on the ground en · NOUN

Etymology

First appears c. 1980 in the US. Attributed to the United States General Volney F. Warner, as quoted in the Christian Science Monitor (April 11, 1980) in reference to the Iranian hostage crisis

Meanings

  1. (metonymically, plural, plural-only) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.
    • The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground.
  2. (metonymically, plural, plural-only) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes. ▸ The military policy of using ground forces.
    • So often boots on the ground is the American Way. 2012, Georgia McDade, Outside the Cave II, page 30:
    • At the same time, when options are considered, political parties and the media are interested in knowing whether boots on the ground is an option put on the table. 2015, Helene Dieck, The Influence of Public Opinion on Post-Cold War U.S. Military Interventions:
  3. (broadly, plural, plural-only) Personnel operating in an area of interest.
    • Eyes on the page matter, but nothing goes forward without boots on the ground. In my case, students wore the boots that mattered most. Jennifer Greer, a former student who worked for a records management consulting service, agreed to help me with the research and writing. 2009, Elizabeth H. Dow, Electronic Records in the Manuscript Repository, page ix:
    • We need boots on the ground to make the border a real barrier. Ten thousand new Border Patrol agents have been authorized by Congress. 2013, J. D. Hayworth, Joe Eule, Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, ..., page 176:
    • And while the number of international boots on the ground might have appeared to be large, spread across the vast and difficult territory of Darfur, those 20,000 troops and police looked much less adequate. 2011, Norrie MacQueen, Humanitarian Intervention and the United Nations, page 133:
  4. (figuratively, informal, plural, plural-only) The state or condition of being physically present at a place of interest in order to ascertain the current situation.
    • Michael Bordenaro (27 March 2024), “FAST FOOD LAYOFFS ARE HERE! THOUSANDS LOSING THEIR JOB...”, in YouTube, retrieved 27 Mar 2024: “I'm gonna be in California this summer. And I'll definitely be doing some boots on the ground research on [raise in minimum wage] while I'm there.”
  5. (plural, plural-only) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see boots, on, ground.
    • He did not make much of an entrance, he just made his way over to the edge of the lake and plopped his boots on the ground. 2015, Christian Clason, Glastica:
    • US options grow more difficults^([sic]) as the chance of a Soviet response increases. However, many American strategists now argue that even light, token US land forces -- "getting US combat boots on the ground," as General Warner puts it -- would signal to an enemy that the US is physically guarding the area and can only be dislodged at the risk of war. 1980 April 11, John K. Cooley, “US rapid strike force: How to get there first with the most”, in Christian Science Monitor:

Relateds

feet on the ground · facts on the ground

Synonyms

BOG (ground forces) · landpower (military policy)