ground zero

noun

Synonyms of ground zero next

: the point directly above, below, or at which a nuclear explosion occurs

: 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

: the very beginning : square one

Example Sentences

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 Dylan, the singer was at rock’s ground zero. —

Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2022 When a factory opens in Mexico, lots of the supplies, lots of the inputs are coming from the U.S. Texas is at the heart of that production, and the border is ground zero. —

Alfredo Corchado, Dallas News, 8 Mar. 2023 Hamtramck is ground zero for paczki, both for the bakeries and for bars hosting celebrations. —

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 20 Feb. 2023 San Diego is ground zero for fentanyl trafficking into the United States. —

Erin Patrick O'connor, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2022 Arizona was ground zero for election-denying candidates and, because of that, where many said democracy could be in danger. —

Byrick Klein, Alisa Wiersema, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2022 Latin America was ground zero for a debt crisis in the 1980s, but some countries in the region have currencies that have appreciated against the dollar this year, thanks in part to having started raising rates well ahead of the Fed. —

Chris Anstey, Bloomberg.com, 13 Oct. 2022 Memorial Parkway has become ground zero for Huntsville’s growth. —

Scott Turner | Sturner@al.com, al, 16 Mar. 2023 My alma mater, Valparaiso University, a small Lutheran university in northwest Indiana, has momentarily become ground zero in the battle over the values and priorities that will determine the future of higher education in the United States. —

David Masciotra, The New Republic, 15 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground zero.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.