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
Florida has made headlines in recent months as ground zero for the climate-change insurance crisis.
—Molly Taft, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024
In 2024, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin more broadly, is ground zero for the fight for the White House.
—Galen Druke, ABC News, 15 July 2024
In South Florida, North Shore Medical Center, which has seen cutbacks and layoffs this year, is ground zero of Steward’s financial crisis.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 19 July 2024
The way that was smothered was ground zero of how the West would deal with this independence and non-aligned movement was actually what happened in the Congo, the overthrow and the murder of Patrice Lumumba.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ground zero 
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Molly Taft, WIRED, 2 Oct. 2024
In 2024, Milwaukee, and Wisconsin more broadly, is ground zero for the fight for the White House.
—Galen Druke, ABC News, 15 July 2024
In South Florida, North Shore Medical Center, which has seen cutbacks and layoffs this year, is ground zero of Steward’s financial crisis.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 19 July 2024
The way that was smothered was ground zero of how the West would deal with this independence and non-aligned movement was actually what happened in the Congo, the overthrow and the murder of Patrice Lumumba.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ground zero
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 7 Nov. 2024.
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