as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest
a city that was once ground zero for the insurance industry
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Recent Examples of ground zero
This area was ground zero for funneling OxyContin and its generic equivalent, oxycodone, to virtually every state east of the Mississippi.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Marwa Yazbek is from Dihariya, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, which was ground zero for Israeli strikes when the war broke out.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
The country has become ground zero for the global Islamist terror threat.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
In the original state of nature, ground zero of social contract theory, a group of people would come together to decide on the principles that would permit them to live together in an orderly community.
—George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026
Marwa Yazbek is from Dihariya, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, which was ground zero for Israeli strikes when the war broke out.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
The country has become ground zero for the global Islamist terror threat.
—Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
In the original state of nature, ground zero of social contract theory, a group of people would come together to decide on the principles that would permit them to live together in an orderly community.
—George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ground zero
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ground zero
Noun
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The 88 apartments in the Metropolitan are 91% rented, according to a listing for the property by the Zacuto Group, which also touts its roof deck with pool, fitness center and barbecue grills.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and Stevie Wonder were a few big names at the Obama center opening ceremony.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Noun
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The president's team also repaired fountains throughout the city, tore down the White House's East Wing to make way for a ballroom, attempted to close the Kennedy Center for renovations, and drew up plans for a gigantic triumphal arch across the river from the capital in Virginia.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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Orbán was in the Belgian capital to take part in a Thursday summit of his Patriots for Europe party group, a collection of far-right parties from across the bloc that forms the third-largest caucus in the European Parliament.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Noun
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Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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Oil stockpiles at the critical oil hub of Cushing, Oklahoma, have plunged to the bare minimum of what is needed to operate.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Noun
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The fest is becoming a beacon for those who still pine for former jam meccas like Gathering of the Vibes, Wakarusa, Rothbury, and 10,000 Lakes.—
Garret K. Woodward,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2026
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This was true throughout the neighborhood, which established itself this month as a secondary mecca for Knicks fans.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Noun
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One of Anthropic’s great strengths compared to its archrival OpenAI is its maniacal focus.—
Rob Toews,
Forbes.com,
22 June 2026
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That same focus on controllables, turning the page on from failure, has helped spur Pages’ consistency.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
Noun
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The Nationals allowed 10 consecutive batters to reach base, eight of them via hits, including three extra-base hits and the two pivotal home runs.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
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Arraez finished the at-bat and flied out to left field, jogging gingerly down the first-base line.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Noun
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Moving fusion energy closer to reality Fusion smashes light atomic nuclei together to release energy, mirroring the process that powers the sun.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
23 June 2026
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The researchers found that surviving fibroblasts developed significantly larger nuclei after depletion—a possible sign of cellular stress—and that the fibroblast network covering the dermal space shrank by only about 10%.—
Peter Jurich,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2026
Noun
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Keep a core of year-round basics, then rotate a few season-specific pieces in and out as the weather turns.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
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The home and core ranges reflected strong loyalty between these areas less than 258 miles apart.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ground%20zero. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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