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
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
In 1987, Gutfeld graduated from Berkeley, ground zero for the Marxist opposition to the Ronald Reagan regime.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025
Mississippi Delta Clarksdale is ground zero, a town with numerous juke joints (blues music venues) where the Delta spawned such legends as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ma Rainey, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King.
—Gqlshare, Orange County Register, 19 Feb. 2025
The Gaza Strip – ground zero of Israel's war with Hamas – is only about twice the size of Washington, DC.
—NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan designated Chicago — the nation’s third-largest city — as ground zero for his plans to round up immigrants in the country illegally and other groups at an unprecedented scale.
—Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
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.
Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025
Mississippi Delta Clarksdale is ground zero, a town with numerous juke joints (blues music venues) where the Delta spawned such legends as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ma Rainey, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King.
—Gqlshare, Orange County Register, 19 Feb. 2025
The Gaza Strip – ground zero of Israel's war with Hamas – is only about twice the size of Washington, DC.
—NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan designated Chicago — the nation’s third-largest city — as ground zero for his plans to round up immigrants in the country illegally and other groups at an unprecedented scale.
—Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
Cite this Entry
“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20zero. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share