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

3

: the very beginning : square one

Synonyms

• axis
• base
• capital
• center
• central
• core
• cynosure
• epicenter
• eye
• focus
• heart
• hub
• locus
• mecca
• navel
• nerve center
• nexus
• nucleus
• omphalos
• seat

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

Georgia was ground zero for Trump’s claims about the election being stolen in 2020. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Shipping ports are ground zero for the emerging hydrogen economy. —David Blekhman, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

ground zero

noun

1

: the site of a nuclear explosion

2

: the center of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change

3

: the very beginning : square one