as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a city that was once ground zero for the insurance industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ground zero
Today, Cicero remains ground zero as the most vulnerable town in Illinois during immigration raids.
—
Esteban Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Trump officials have designated Chicago as ground zero for deportations.
—Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
Incinerated communities California is America’s wildfire ground zero.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
On February 2, 2017, UC Berkeley became ground zero when provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech was protested- these violent protests were only the tip of the iceberg in a rapid shift in norms on college campuses.
—Manu Meel, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ground zero 
Esteban Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Trump officials have designated Chicago as ground zero for deportations.
—Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
Incinerated communities California is America’s wildfire ground zero.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
On February 2, 2017, UC Berkeley became ground zero when provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ speech was protested- these violent protests were only the tip of the iceberg in a rapid shift in norms on college campuses.
—Manu Meel, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ground zero
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ground zero
Noun
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The center, founded by MarySue Lindsay, a teacher and principal for 20 years, will start its standard hours and operations Tuesday, Feb. 18.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
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With Mark Williams sent back to the Charlotte Hornets over the weekend following the rescinding of the trade to the Los Angeles Lakers for Dalton Knecht, and Nurkic yet to speak to the media after being dealt from Phoenix, some are wondering what’s going on with the Bosnian center.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Photo by David Di Gregorio Guyana New direct flights from New York and Miami and rapid development in the country’s capital, Georgetown, are making this remote South American country more accessible.—
Becca Blond,
AFAR Media,
5 Feb. 2025
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General view of the City of London skyline, the capital’s financial district, in October.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Now that the four organizations have formerly merged their economic development efforts, the alliance is looking to start a number of initiatives throughout this year to speed up Aurora’s transformation into an innovation hub, according to a news release about the launch event.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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These targets include airfields, military plants, ammunition depots and warehouses, and also oil hubs and refineries, which have supplied President Vladimir Putin's military with fuel in the ongoing conflict.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But how did stars such as A$AP Rocky and Pharrell stumble upon the store, especially given Tokyo is a mecca for vintage?—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, Gunnison’s Hartman Rocks, one of the state’s most iconic mountain biking areas, is also a mecca for winter pedaling.—
Shauna Farnell,
The Denver Post,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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And this focus on fighting makes sense, given that at the center of the film is a fight scene spanning some 28 minutes.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2025
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The accompanying shift in focus—away from Josh and Iris’s relationship and toward the former’s true motivation for acquiring the robot—also gives space for another one of the weekenders (played by Lukas Gage) to have some fun toying with a secret of his own.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The smell of bleach triggers memories of cleaning up the blood that was all over the tarmac of the base.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
TIME,
10 Feb. 2025
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As my friend in Los Angeles can attest, its overreach has alienated a broad swath of Americans, including many who wouldn’t typically align with Trump’s base.—
Matt K. Lewis,
Twin Cities,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That’s the hope with a strong nucleus returning and some strong underclassman to help them out.—
Todd Abeln,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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Anhedonia is associated with higher functional connectivity between the nucleus accumbens and paraventricular nucleus of thalamus Before joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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And Baker didn’t feed Madison a whole lot about who Ani was at her core—leaving a trusting space for Madison to find Ani on her own.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2025
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Because Miami wouldn’t have much, if any, cap space with Beal on its books, this hypothetical would mean the Heat would move forward with a core of Adebayo, Herro, Beal, Ware, Jovic and Jaquez.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ground zero
Cite this Entry
“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ground%20zero. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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