ground zero
noun
1
: the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs
2
: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
broadly
: center sense 2a
the party town that served as ground zero for those corporate … bashes —
Rich Eisen
Rich Eisen 3
: the very beginning : square one
Synonyms
Examples of ground zero in a Sentence
ground zero in the battle over immigration laws
a city that was once ground zero for the insurance industry
Recent Examples on the Web
But now, unfortunately, not necessarily back to ground zero with it, but just got to take a step back and kind of calm it down again.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
The last piece of steel from the twisted remains of the twin towers was removed from ground zero only the previous year.
—Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Presenting Iger at Disney’s ground zero was a form of circling the wagons and putting the boss on a pedestal.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Florida has firmly cemented itself in recent years as ground zero for the nation’s culture wars.
—Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Everyone knows San Francisco barely builds homes, to the extent that the California Department of Housing and Community Development depicted the city as ground zero of the state’s housing crisis in a scathing report.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
Which is to say that Sacramento, once known as ground zero for inferiority complexes in the Golden State, finally seems to be defining itself on its own terms, instead of in comparison to others.
—Chris MacIas and Tim Swanson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
The idiot plot is delivered with an impressively straight face: night after night, brawl after brawl, the bar becomes ground zero in a battle for a small town’s soul.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Ward 6, which is relatively affluent and safe compared to much of the city, is an unlikely ground zero for the fight.
—Andrew Trunsky, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
The last piece of steel from the twisted remains of the twin towers was removed from ground zero only the previous year.
—Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Presenting Iger at Disney’s ground zero was a form of circling the wagons and putting the boss on a pedestal.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Florida has firmly cemented itself in recent years as ground zero for the nation’s culture wars.
—Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Everyone knows San Francisco barely builds homes, to the extent that the California Department of Housing and Community Development depicted the city as ground zero of the state’s housing crisis in a scathing report.
—Byalena Botros, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
Which is to say that Sacramento, once known as ground zero for inferiority complexes in the Golden State, finally seems to be defining itself on its own terms, instead of in comparison to others.
—Chris MacIas and Tim Swanson, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024
The idiot plot is delivered with an impressively straight face: night after night, brawl after brawl, the bar becomes ground zero in a battle for a small town’s soul.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Ward 6, which is relatively affluent and safe compared to much of the city, is an unlikely ground zero for the fight.
—Andrew Trunsky, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground zero.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near ground zero
Cite this Entry
“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20zero. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
ground zero
noun1
: the site of a nuclear explosion
2
: the center of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
3
: the very beginning : square one
More from Merriam-Webster on ground zero
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