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 outbreak's epicentre is in northeastern Ituri province on the border with Uganda and South Sudan.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: "London is at the epicentre of the national homelessness crisis. We see this every day on the front line and sadly Alicia's case is not untypical."
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
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
The epicentre of this outbreak is believed to be Club Chemistry in Canterbury, according to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026
The portion of the earth's surface which is vertically above the seismic focus is called the epicentre.
From A Study of Recent Earthquakes by Davison, Charles
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.
