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

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

These days, swaths of the city of 450,000 feel like ground zero for a dystopian version of California. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

Wednesday’s 9/11 ceremony at ground zero in New York was a photo of the year in the making. —Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Sep. 2024

Sheridan, who along with his fellow cyclists has raised almost $150,000, was at ground zero 23 years ago. —Kelly Cobiella, NBC News, 11 Sep. 2024

Georgia was ground zero for Trump’s claims about the election being stolen in 2020. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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