blast zone

noun

: a region or area where a destructive explosion or detonation has occurred

Today, Spirit Lake lies at the heart of the blast zone—the 230 square miles of forest that were buried, drowned, or scorched by the volcano.

—Christine Colasurdo, Bird Watcher's Digest, March/April 1996

… to control drone aircraft that flew into blast zones and took atmospheric readings in the U.S. Pacific atomic bomb testing programs.

—Michael Kelly, San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times, 5 Oct. 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

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