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
Martín Wall’s ranch had become ground zero for Operation Lone Star.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
He was deployed to New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, as a rescue worker at ground zero after the terrorist attacks, and went to Louisiana to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005.
—Lia Russell, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025
And the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, with about 220,000 residents, is ground zero for these.
—Oleksandra Mykolyshyn, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Dozens of health impacts have been found among those exposed to the toxic swirl around ground zero on and in the months after Sept. 11, 2001.
—Nancy Cutler, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 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.
Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
He was deployed to New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, as a rescue worker at ground zero after the terrorist attacks, and went to Louisiana to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region in 2005.
—Lia Russell, Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2025
And the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, with about 220,000 residents, is ground zero for these.
—Oleksandra Mykolyshyn, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Dozens of health impacts have been found among those exposed to the toxic swirl around ground zero on and in the months after Sept. 11, 2001.
—Nancy Cutler, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 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 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share