epicentre

British  

/ ˈɛpɪˌsɛntə /

noun

1. the point on the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake or underground nuclear explosion Compare focus

2. informal the absolute centre of something

   the epicentre of world sprinting

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Other Word Forms

• epicentral adjective

Etymology

Origin of epicentre

C19: from New Latin epicentrum, from Greek epikentros over the centre, from _epi- + kentron needle; see _centre

Example Sentences

The governor of Borno state, the epicentre of Nigeria's 17-year-long jihadist insurgency, said the government shut the market down five years ago.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Another European military source, also speaking anonymously, said conducting the attack far from the conflict's epicentre was a "show of force aimed at major rivals" such as China and Russia.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

The epicentre of fighting has shifted to the south-central Kordofan region since both sides consolidated their gains in the other main battlefields of this nearly three-year war.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

Windward AI's Michelle Wiese Bockmann calls the area "an epicentre of maritime lawlessness", where dozens of tankers gather to store or transfer Iranian oil.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

The focus and epicentre are often spoken of for convenience as if they were points, and they may then be regarded as the centres of the region and area in which the intensity was greatest.

From A Study of Recent Earthquakes by Davison, Charles