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
The monument in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village section is in a tiny park across the street from the Stonewall Inn, a bar that became ground zero for the gay rights movement on June 28, 1969, when gay and transgender patrons and neighborhood residents fought back against a police raid.
—Susan Haigh, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Shelby Park, a municipal park along the border in Eagle Pass that had been a top crossing spot and ground zero for conflicts over immigration enforcement between the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, has seen few if any migrants try to cross on most days.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Instead, the Hyatt becomes ground zero for the media frenzy: broadcast networks will set up shop on an upper floor with picture windows overlooking the dome, and print journalists will book out lower floors.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025
Trump and Harris hit 'ground zero' in the White House showdown.
—Fox News, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ground zero 
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Susan Haigh, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Shelby Park, a municipal park along the border in Eagle Pass that had been a top crossing spot and ground zero for conflicts over immigration enforcement between the Biden administration and Gov. Greg Abbott, has seen few if any migrants try to cross on most days.
—Jack Healy, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Instead, the Hyatt becomes ground zero for the media frenzy: broadcast networks will set up shop on an upper floor with picture windows overlooking the dome, and print journalists will book out lower floors.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025
Trump and Harris hit 'ground zero' in the White House showdown.
—Fox News, 4 Nov. 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 18 Feb. 2025.
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