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
As this tricky forecast comes into focus, all signs point to Jamaica being ground zero for what could become one of the most destructive hurricanes of the season.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Academics, educators and critics alike refer to Oklahoma as ground zero for pushing education to the right.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
This time, Macy gets personal, using her deeply red home town of Urbana, Ohio, as a ground zero for understanding right-wing radicalization.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
Sracic spent years as a political science professor at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, ground zero for this transformation.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
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Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Academics, educators and critics alike refer to Oklahoma as ground zero for pushing education to the right.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
This time, Macy gets personal, using her deeply red home town of Urbana, Ohio, as a ground zero for understanding right-wing radicalization.
—Grace Byron, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025
Sracic spent years as a political science professor at Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, ground zero for this transformation.
—David M. Drucker, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 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 25 Oct. 2025.
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