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
For 30 years, Hal’s Bar and Grill was ground zero for a burgeoning Venice scene on the street that in 1990 was renamed from West Washington to Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
—Brad Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The reporters quickly figured out that ground zero for RainbowEx was the work force at Papel Prensa, a paper factory and the country’s largest newsprint supplier.
—David Segal, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Latin America, with its high levels of stablecoin adoption, solid talent base and crypto-friendly macro conditions has proven to be ground zero for these solutions.
—Aaron Stanley, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
The Mediterranean-style digs that served as ground zero for the long-running E! series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which turned the Kardashian-Jenner clan into reality stars, has just hit the market for $13.5 million, The New York Times reported.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
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Brad Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2025
The reporters quickly figured out that ground zero for RainbowEx was the work force at Papel Prensa, a paper factory and the country’s largest newsprint supplier.
—David Segal, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Latin America, with its high levels of stablecoin adoption, solid talent base and crypto-friendly macro conditions has proven to be ground zero for these solutions.
—Aaron Stanley, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
The Mediterranean-style digs that served as ground zero for the long-running E! series Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which turned the Kardashian-Jenner clan into reality stars, has just hit the market for $13.5 million, The New York Times reported.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Feb. 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 22 May. 2025.
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