Definition of ground zero
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
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Synonyms for ground zero
Synonyms
- axis,
- base,
- capital,
- center,
- central,
- core,
- cynosure,
- epicenter,
- eye,
- focus,
- heart,
- hub,
- locus,
- mecca,
- navel,
- nerve center,
- nexus,
- nucleus,
- omphalos,
- seat
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 Everything Leibowitz learned as a psychology undergraduate suggested Tromsø would be ground zero for SAD.
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Jen Rose Smith, CNN, "Fight winter blues by changing your mindset," 17 Nov. 2020 Community colleges, ground zero for workers retraining for new occupations, have seen enrollment fall 7.5% this year, according to the American Association of Community Colleges.
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Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "'I had to start my future': Workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 find new careers in these fields," 22 Oct. 2020 A quarter mile down the hill from the bunker, Destiny church became ground zero for the FBI's operation.
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CBS News, "Saving Ethan: The FBI's race against the clock to rescue kidnapped Alabama boy," 6 Oct. 2020 In addition to its reputation as ground zero in the immigration debate, Arizona this year has become a crucial presidential battleground state.
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Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, "Acting Homeland Security chief touts Trump's immigration successes in Phoenix visit," 23 Oct. 2020 Eviction court is kind of a ground zero for the workings of capitalism.
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Michael Taylor, ExpressNews.com, "Taylor: A wave of evictions, bankruptcies and lawsuits is coming," 23 Sep. 2020 The San Antonio area is ground zero for the history of chili.
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Chuck Blount, ExpressNews.com, "Chuck’s Food Shack: Chili season is here, and here are three versions of the Texas classic," 9 Nov. 2020 But existing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota and Nevada offer some hint of the states most likely to be ground zero in a post-election battle and the kinds of issues that could tie the outcome in knots.
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Mark Sherman, chicagotribune.com, "Legal armies on standby as potential election legal challenges likely to stem from huge increase in absentee balloting," 2 Nov. 2020 But existing lawsuits in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Minnesota and Nevada offer some hint of the states most likely to be ground zero in a post-election battle and the kinds of issues that could tie the outcome in knots.
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Arkansas Online, "Legal armies ready if cloudy election outcome heads to court," 2 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ground zero.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for ground zero
The first known use of ground zero was in 1946
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