Definition of "groundling" [ground•ling]

• A plant or an animal that lives on or close to the ground. (noun)
• A bottom fish. (noun)
• A person with uncultivated tastes. (noun)
• A spectator in the cheap standing-room section of an Elizabethan theater. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Yeah the pennywhistle is the worst kind of groundling humor."
• "The modern-day Globe is located on the south bank of the River Thames a stone's throw from where the original theater used to exist and is built to similar specifications with an open-air stage, standing room in front of the stage for inexpensive "groundling" tickets and a thatched roof over the galleries for those willing to pay more for a seat."
• "Also, a limited number of $1 standing or "groundling" tickets will be available at the door 30 minutes prior to each performance."