combat zone

noun

1. Military. an area in a theater of operations where combat forces operate, extending typically from the front line to the communications zone.
2. Slang. an area in some cities, usually in an older midtown section, where pornography stores, striptease bars, etc., flourish, or are tolerated because of being concentrated in one district.

Word History and Origins

Origin of combat zone¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

The pilot explained that he usually wears his “to mount NVGs for night flying,” though occasionally “we will wear them during daytime in a combat zone to protect against debris should the cockpit take a direct hit.”

From Popular-Science

For groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, the whole world is a combat zone.

From Vox

In combat zones around the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan, Lt.

From Washington Post

One of the fathers, Ostap, claimed that his son, after spending over 90 days in the combat zone, had a legal right to take leave.

From The Daily Beast

I first met Michael in early May 2011, while I was in Washington on leave from the combat zone in Afghanistan.

From The Daily Beast

I recognize that it's easier to criticize a battle plan from outside the combat zone.

From The Daily Beast

Bales may have harbored hopes of getting out of the combat zone, perhaps by becoming a military recruiter, as Browne has said.

From The Daily Beast

It is a disorienting shift, to put it mildly, to return home from a combat zone where people were actively trying to kill you.

From The Daily Beast

The situation developed rapidly, probably because we had only six days before our scheduled departure into the combat zone.

From Project Gutenberg