Meanings
combat zone1
Combat Zone2
- A neighborhood on the southern edge of downtown Boston that included numerous bars, peep shows, pornography vendors, and prostitution.
1 more example
I feel out strangers that come in to make sure they know they're in a gay place and won't cause any trouble. Some straight people, like the bartenders at other Combat Zone bars come in here, but they're OK, and no one minds. A lot of the strippers come in here, too, because the gay guys don't hassle them. Everyone gets along.
1976 February 7, Rose Flower, quoting Jimmy McGrath, “Playland: The Friendliest Place In Town”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 32, page 13
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of war zone.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Possibly from the large number of servicemen frequenting the area during World War II and the violence associated with them.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
combat zone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/combat%20zone
“combat zone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/combat%20zone. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “combat zone,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/combat%20zone.
Source: combat zone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.