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 of epicenter

• 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

At the time, the portion of the population under 30 in Egypt, one of the epicenters of the uprising, was 60%-65%. —John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026

The epicenter was about 6 miles west of Rio Dell, at a depth of 5 miles. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026

The location of the quake's epicenter was around 270 miles south of Louisiana and 377 miles west of Tampa, Florida. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, an epicenter of last week’s misery, saw 75-minute security lines before dawn Monday. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026

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