epicenter

noun

epi·​cen·​ter ˈe-pi-ˌsen-tər 

1

: the part of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake compare hypocenter sense 1

2

: center sense 2a

the epicenter of world finance

epicentral

ˌe-pi-ˈsen-trəl 

adjective

Did you know?

The meaning of epi- in epicenter is "over", so the epicenter of an earthquake lies over the center or "focus" of the quake. Epicenter can also refer to the centers of things that may seem in their own way as powerful—though not as destructive—as earthquakes. Wall Street, for example, might be said to lie at the epicenter of the financial world.

Synonyms

• center
• mecca
• hub
• capital

Examples of epicenter in a Sentence

by continually reinventing itself, Las Vegas has managed to remain a national epicenter for entertainment

Recent Examples on the Web

Shock waves could be felt as far as Istanbul, which is more than 120 miles away from the epicenter, per the BBC and The New York Times. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Being just a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the epicenter of the blast, her survival was nothing short of a miracle. —Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025

However, the earthquakes that occur in the New Jersey region tend to be more far-reaching from the epicenter, the experts said. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025

There is statistical evidence that very large earthquakes might trigger some eruptions of volcanoes within some hundreds of kilometers of the epicenter. —Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin epicentrum, from epi- + Latin centrum center

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for epicenter

• multicenter
• center
• centre
• enter
• renter
• stentor
• tenter
• dissenter
• indenter
• inventor
• precentor
• preventer

Kids Definition

epicenter

noun

epi·​cen·​ter ˈep-i-ˌsent-ər 

: the part of the earth's surface directly above the starting point of an earthquake