breaking ground

Verb

break ground (third-person singular simple present breaks ground, present participle breaking ground, simple past broke ground, past participle broken ground)

1. (literally) To begin digging in the earth at the start of a new construction, or, originally, for cultivation.
   • They broke ground on the new library last month.
2. (figuratively) To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements.
   • The invention breaks ground in its programming and its structure.
3. To lift off the sea bottom when being weighed.
4. To separate from the ground on takeoff; to become airborne.