What does "on the ground" mean?

In an area (location) of interest or active operations, versus outside that area (and especially, far away from it).

What is a synonym for "on the ground"?

Common synonyms include: most ground level.

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prep_phrase ·Rare ·Advanced level

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1
In an area (location) of interest or active operations, versus outside that area (and especially, far away from it).
"You might feel differently about this policy if you were on the ground in a war zone."
2
In the daily life of the general public, or at least in that of some group of people who aren't out-of-touch elites.
"Near-synonyms: on the street, in the streets, in reality, in the real world"
3
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on, the, ground.
"I'm still surprised that I found a hundred-dollar bill just lying on the ground."

"You might feel differently about this policy if you were on the ground in a war zone."