epicenter

American  

[ep-uh-sen-ter] / ˈɛp əˌsɛn tər /

especially British, epicentre

noun

• epicenters
  plural

1. Geology. Also a point, directly above the true center of disturbance, from which the shock waves of an earthquake apparently radiate.

2. a focal point, as of activity.

   Manhattan's Chinatown is the epicenter of the city's Chinese community.

---

epicenter Scientific  

/ ĕp′ĭ-sĕn′tər /

1. The point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the focus (the point of origin) of an earthquake. The epicenter is usually the location where the greatest damage associated with an earthquake occurs.

2. See Note at earthquake

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• epicentral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• epicenters
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of epicenter

1885–90; < New Latin epicentrum < Greek epíkentros on the center. See epi-, center

---

Compare meaning

How does epicenter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hypocenter vs. epicenter

---

Explanation

Earthquakes start deep underground, and the epicenter is the central location of the earthquake, the point of land right above where an earthquake begins. When violent movement happens beneath the Earth’s surface, earthquakes send out destructive waves of vibration, sort of like ripples after you throw a rock into a lake. The epicenter is the place on the surface where those ripples start. The Greek epikentros means “situated on a center,” and that’s where you’ll find the epicenter, dead center in an earthquake’s destruction. Of course, you don’t really want to find it, because it’s kind of dangerous there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

epicenter epicenters

Residents near the epicenter of a major earthquake in southern Panama began cleaning up on Saturday, traumatized by the previous day's heavy shaking that left widespread damage but so far no reported deaths.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

Many people were evacuated from buildings in Panama City, about 200 kilometers from the epicenter, AFP witnessed.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The nation’s largest county has become the epicenter of a fiscal quagmire for local governments and school districts across California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Advancements in AI tools have also been reshaping jobs, especially in Silicon Valley, the epicenter of the tech industry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Sendai, a large city close to the epicenter, was hit by the full force of the quake, but all of Honshu felt it.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

College campuses have been epicenters for protest movements and free speech since the Vietnam War era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The virus then forced my wife Elvira and I to live apart from each other for the next 18 months — I in New York City, she in Italy, the two worldwide epicenters.

From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2025

“California and Los Angeles are the epicenters of it, but it’s a common belief among the general populace.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2024

It says it was established in 2019 in the Philippines, one of the epicenters of the plastic pollution crisis.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2023

Epidemiologists have since discovered that the northwestern shore of Lake Victoria was one of the initial epicenters of aids.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• command post
• focal point
• headquarters
• hotbed

---