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
Scotland is ground zero for the U.K.’s grid decarbonization challenge.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Aug. 2025
Winter trips focus on gray wolves, spending dawn and dusk in the Lamar Valley, which is ground zero for the country’s wolf reintroduction efforts.
—AFAR Media, 4 Aug. 2025
The workplace is the new ground zero for addressing mental health.
—Aneri Pattani, CBS News, 8 July 2025
Asia is ground zero for subsea cable attacks, particularly around Taiwan.
—PC Magazine, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
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IEEE Spectrum, 4 Aug. 2025
Winter trips focus on gray wolves, spending dawn and dusk in the Lamar Valley, which is ground zero for the country’s wolf reintroduction efforts.
—AFAR Media, 4 Aug. 2025
The workplace is the new ground zero for addressing mental health.
—Aneri Pattani, CBS News, 8 July 2025
Asia is ground zero for subsea cable attacks, particularly around Taiwan.
—PC Magazine, 30 July 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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