ground zero
noun
1
: the point directly above, below, or at which an explosion and especially a nuclear explosion occurs
2
: the center or origin of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
Mingo Junction … sits at ground zero of the longest steelworker strike in American history.—
Michael Janofsky
Michael Janofsky
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
We'll have to go back to ground zero and start over.
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
There have been moments when Landfair contemplated moving away from Chicago, putting physical distance between a city that still openly supports Kelly and is ground zero for some of her most painful memories.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Assemblymember Heather Hadwick — a Republican who represents El Dorado, as well as Lake Tahoe, which is ground zero for bear problems — called conflicts with predators her district’s biggest issue.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
The next protest is scheduled for March 28 in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, which has become ground zero for the administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2026
Indeed, unless there is some inexplicable policy goal to get Americans to buy ladders, hammers, toilet seats, piles of bricks, washers, dryers, and garage doors online instead of at neighborhood stores, there is no reason why retailers need to become ground zero.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
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Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
Assemblymember Heather Hadwick — a Republican who represents El Dorado, as well as Lake Tahoe, which is ground zero for bear problems — called conflicts with predators her district’s biggest issue.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
The next protest is scheduled for March 28 in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, which has become ground zero for the administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 29 Jan. 2026
Indeed, unless there is some inexplicable policy goal to get Americans to buy ladders, hammers, toilet seats, piles of bricks, washers, dryers, and garage doors online instead of at neighborhood stores, there is no reason why retailers need to become ground zero.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
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 2 Feb. 2026.
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