ground zero
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ground zero¹
- /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/ UK
- /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪɚ(ˌ)oʊ/ US
- /-ˈzi(ˌ)ɹoʊ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪəɹəʊ
Where it comes from
From ground + zero, first attested in a June 1946 a report by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6 and 9, 1945, during World War II. “Zero” was used as the code name for the location of the Trinity atomic bomb test – the first detonation of a nuclear weapon – in New Mexico, USA, on July 16, 1945.
noun ground zeroes · ground-zero
- Originally, the point on the land or water surface below which a nuclear bomb detonates in the air; now also the point on such a surface at or above the detonation. Some of the construction details (reinforcing rod splices, for example) [in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan] were often poor, and much of the concrete was definitely weak; thus some reinforced concrete buildings collapsed and suffered structural damage when within 2,000 feet of ground zero, and some i
- The location of any disaster or violent assault. "This is ground zero," she said. "If regulators don't adopt a zero tolerance for violations of standards then what we will have are places that are going to have unacceptable environmental damage."
- The point at which something begins. James Meredith's forced admission was a milestone in upending the old order in America's most segregated state, a kind of race relations ground zero.
Ground Zero²
Where it comes from
From the general term ground zero.
proper noun
- The site of the former World Trade Center towers in New York City destroyed on 11 September 2001. As we approached Ground Zero, I felt like I was entering a nightmare. There was little light. Smoke hung in the air and mixed with suspended particles of debris, creating an eerie gray curtain. We sloshed through puddles left behind by the morning rain and the water used to fight the fires.
Translations
Every language
noun point on the land or water surface below, at, or above the detonation of a nuclear bomb
| Español | punto cero, tierra cero, zona cero |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 그라운드 제로 geuraundeu jero, 폭심지 poksimji, 원폭점 wonpokjeom |
| 日本語 | グラウンドゼロ guraundozero, 爆心地 bakushinchi, 爆心地点 bakushin-chiten, 落下地点 rakka chiten |
| 中文 | 爆心投影點 /爆心投影点 bàoxīn tóuyǐngdiǎn, 原爆點 /原爆点 yuánbàodiǎn |
| Português | ponto de impacto |
| Français | point zéro |
| Deutsch | Bodennullpunkt |
| Italiano | terra zero |
| Русский | эпице́нтр взрыва epicéntr vzryva |
| עברית | גראונד זירו |
name site of former World Trade Center
| Español | sitio del ex Centro Mundial Mercantil |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Ground Zero |
Talk about this word "ground zero." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ground%20zero. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ground zero. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ground%20zero "ground zero." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ground%20zero.Cite this
@misc{ground_zero_2026,
title = {ground zero},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ground%20zero},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
