- a variation of epicenter.
epicentre
Britishnoun
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the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake or underground nuclear explosion Compare focus
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informal the absolute centre of something
the epicentre of world sprinting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of epicentre
C19: from New Latin epicentrum, from Greek epikentros over the centre, from epi- + kentron needle; see centre
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The police later said I was probably the first alive person in the epicentre of it - it was just total devastation."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Communities near the epicentre remain cut off, with the UN working alongside Nepal's government to get emergency supplies into devastated areas.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Those are the most essential, particularly for the people who are in the epicentre."
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
The epicentre of this outbreak of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, is in the east of DR Congo where insecurity has hampered control efforts.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Naples lies sixty-nine miles from the north-west epicentre, and here more accurate observations could be made.
From A Study of Recent Earthquakes by Charles Davison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
