Word
epicenter
Phoneticsepi·cen·ter
/ˈɛpəˌsɛntɝ/
UK spelling · epicentre
Definition
n. the exact point on the ground directly above where an earthquake starts. It is also used to describe the middle of a major event or problem.
n. the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. By extension, it refers to the central point of a significant, often destructive, event or activity.
Examples
“The epicenter of the earthquake was near the coast.”
“The small town became the epicenter of the national protest movement after the local factory closed down.”
“While the virus was detected in several provinces, the capital city remained the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for nearly eighty percent of all confirmed cases.”
Examples
simple
“The epicenter of the earthquake was near the coast.”
contextual
“The small town became the epicenter of the national protest movement after the local factory closed down.”
complex
“While the virus was detected in several provinces, the capital city remained the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for nearly eighty percent of all confirmed cases.”
Usage
Often used metaphorically to describe the heart of a crisis or a major cultural shift.
Pitfall
The epicenter was ten miles underground.
The focus was ten miles underground.
The epicenter is always on the surface; the point inside the earth where the earthquake starts is the focus or hypocenter.
Real-World Examples
“Pereira, a city of around 500,000, lies about 35 miles from the epicentre.” Etymology
From epi- + center.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/epicenter