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
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 Long after Los Angeles has become a radioactive ground zero unfit for most human life — a real one, not just a metaphorical one — a soldier, Joshua (John David Washington), has gone deep undercover in an attempt to find the AI army’s leader. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2023 In addition to first responders, the attacks have left ongoing health effects on workers in the World Trade Center who evacuated their workplaces, passersby, residents of the surrounding buildings and volunteers who spent time at ground zero in the weeks after. Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN, 24 Sep. 2023 Vice President Kamala Harris represented the administration at the commemoration ceremony at ground zero in lower Manhattan on Monday morning. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2023 And more recently, the neighborhood has become ground zero for the city’s fentanyl crisis, with several open-air drug markets popping up in empty buildings nearby. Mrussell, oregonlive, 15 Aug. 2023 Computations by Philippe and his colleagues show the cloud’s trajectory primarily spreading up over northeast New Mexico and a part of the cloud circling to the south and west of ground zero over the next few days. Lesley M.m. Blume, BostonGlobe.com, 21 July 2023 In the third act of Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb sits in a darkened hall and watches a slide show of what his gadget hath wrought at ground zero. Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2023 The governor, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, spent roughly three hours at ground zero. Will McDuffie, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2023 Bells toll as the US marks 22 years since 9/11, from ground zero to Alaska Bells tolled at ground zero and solemn tributes unfolded around the country as Americans looked back on the horror and legacy of 9/11. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 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.

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ground zero was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near ground zero

Cite this Entry

“Ground zero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20zero. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

ground zero

noun
1
: the site of a nuclear explosion
2
: the center of rapid, intense, or violent activity or change
3
: the very beginning : square one

More from Merriam-Webster on ground zero

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