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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ground zero
After President Trump took office in January, the administration promised a crackdown on immigration, saying Chicago would be ground zero for enforcement.
—
Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
For the next few weeks or so, the residence served as ground zero for many headline-making moments in the pop superstar’s life, from shaving her head to attacking a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2025
Of course, the Maldives has long been regarded as ground zero for the most visually arresting waterscapes and over-the-top luxury accommodations.
—Katie Kiefner, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2025
In 1987, Gutfeld graduated from Berkeley, ground zero for the Marxist opposition to the Ronald Reagan regime.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025
For the next few weeks or so, the residence served as ground zero for many headline-making moments in the pop superstar’s life, from shaving her head to attacking a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 18 Feb. 2025
Of course, the Maldives has long been regarded as ground zero for the most visually arresting waterscapes and over-the-top luxury accommodations.
—Katie Kiefner, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2025
In 1987, Gutfeld graduated from Berkeley, ground zero for the Marxist opposition to the Ronald Reagan regime.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ground zero
Noun
-
Sweetwater Creek This state park is a still refuge just a few minutes from Atlanta’s bustling city center.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
21 Mar. 2025
-
His beats have lots of detail but no fixed center, creating rhythms that call to mind choppy waves or a record that’s stuck in a groove.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Finnish goalie was on the other side of the Ullmark trade that brought the latter to Canada’s capital.—
Julian McKenzie,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
-
Driving the news: Witkoff arrived in Doha on Tuesday night and held meetings with the Qatari and Egyptian mediators and with Israeli negotiators who are in the Qatari capital.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While Georgia, Texas, California, New York, and Florida lead as the top states for engagement—with Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles as primary hubs—HillmanTok reaches users across all fifty states.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
12 Mar. 2025
-
And this week, according to Amazon’s Movers and Shakers List (a hub that features the site’s trending products), shoppers are picking up a variety of time-saving gadgets and helpful tools for the kitchen.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Carolinas’ food mecca of Charleston. California, then back. Management, failures and burnout.—
Jenny Hartley,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The celebrated Park Forest Plaza — one of the first suburban shopping malls in America, which had siphoned commerce from former shopping meccas such as downtown Chicago Heights — was one-upped in turn by Matteson’s indoor Lincoln Mall.—
Paul Eisenberg,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The sketch comes as the sitting president continues to befuddle many Americans with his focus on tariffs and his platforming of Musk’s push to cut federal workers while stock prices continue to plunge.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Airdate: Thursday, March 13 (Peacock) Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Pinnock, Ashleigh Cummings, Callum Vinson, John Doman Showrunner: Nikki Toscano One of the shows starts extremely well, with its focus on that central relationship, but struggles in its second half.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Absent any real pressure from Trump, Netanyahu was always going to follow his base.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
-
Think: highly-moisturizing formulas that illuminate the complexion and provide a smooth base for your makeup to blend into a radiant glow.—
Marie Courtois,
Vogue,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Moustakas' rise coincided with that of the Royals, who rode a homegrown nucleus of talent all the way to the championship in 2015.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The aim has been to discover how the supermassive black holes at the hearts of galaxies, which have masses millions or billions of times that of the sun, power active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and near light-speed jets.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 0.3% increases on both headline and core, with respective annual rates of 2.9% and 3.2%, meaning that all of the rates were 0.1 percentage point less than expected.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Set Clear Values, Messaging And Tone At The Start Maintaining a brand’s core identity requires setting clear values, messaging and tone from the outset.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ground%20zero. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share