Meaning & use
neutral ground
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Meanings
noununcountable
A place that is not controlled by either side in a disagreement or competition, so both sides can meet there fairly.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or 'the' when talking about the idea in general: meet on neutral ground.
Patterns
- meet on neutral ground
- find neutral ground
- use something as neutral ground
The two companies agreed to meet on neutral ground to discuss the deal.
The park became neutral ground where the rival groups could talk without fear.
They chose a café in the city center as neutral ground for the negotiation.
noununcountablefigurative
A subject or area of discussion that does not favor either side and is safe to talk about.
Grammar: Often used after 'on' to mean 'talking about a safe subject'.
Patterns
- on neutral ground
- stay on neutral ground
When politics came up, she quickly moved the conversation to neutral ground.
The interviewer kept the discussion on neutral ground by asking about the weather.
Sports can be neutral ground where people forget their differences.
Common combinations
- on neutral ground
- The meeting was held on neutral ground to avoid any advantage.
- find neutral ground
- We need to find neutral ground before we can solve this dispute.
- use something as neutral ground
- They used the library as neutral ground for their talks.
- neutral ground for
- The island served as neutral ground for the peace talks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- common ground
- Common ground means shared interests or opinions, not a physical place; neutral ground is about location or fairness.
- middle ground
- Middle ground is a compromise position in an argument, while neutral ground is a place or topic that is not owned by either side.
Commonly confused: neutral ground or neutral territory?
neutral ground vs neutral territory
Neutral territory is very similar but often suggests a larger area or a political region, while neutral ground is more often a specific meeting place.
Practice
The two teams agreed to play the final match on neutral ground. What does 'neutral ground' mean here?
Choose one answer.
'Neutral ground' means a place not controlled by either side, so neither team has a home advantage. Option 0 is wrong because that would give one team an advantage; option 2 is too extreme; option 3 is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “neutral ground”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.