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
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
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.
Fox is ground zero for the kinds of vicious lies about immigrants that Trump has been spewing on the presidential stage for a decade. Marjorie García, Billboard, 26 June 2025 From Garage Grit to Global Scale—Financed by Betting the Family Home At just 18, Namit Malhotra turned his father’s garage in Mumbai into ground zero for what would become a global media empire. Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 There are few clues that two years ago, this campus was ground zero for a massive uprising against the administration of then-President Macky Sall. Adrien Marotte, Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2025 There are a handful of schools with about 2,000 children within a half-mile of ground zero of the toxic Tijuana River, the place where a swamp gas leeches out and spreads over our neighborhoods. Tom Csanidi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ground zero

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ground zero was in 1946

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20zero. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

ground zero

noun
1
: the site of a nuclear explosion
2
: the center of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
3
: the very beginning : square one

More from Merriam-Webster on ground zero

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!