epicenter
noun
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The meaning of epi- in epicenter is "over", so the epicenter of an earthquake lies over the center or "focus" of the quake. Epicenter can also refer to the centers of things that may seem in their own way as powerful—though not as destructive—as earthquakes. Wall Street, for example, might be said to lie at the epicenter of the financial world.
Synonyms
Examples of epicenter in a Sentence
Jon Haworth, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2024
Another epicenter of persistent high heat this summer, the Central Valley of California is about to face its next round, with no real end in sight.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
Unlike in southern Israel, which has become an epicenter for wartime tourism this year for people coming to witness the sites of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, the situation is altogether different on Israel’s northern border.
—Etgar Lefkovits, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2024
Holding the event nearly 10,000 miles from the epicenter of the Summer Games in Paris is a bold choice that has some safety-conscious experts shaking their heads and ghoulish spectators licking their chops.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 26 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for epicenter 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'epicenter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Epicenter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epicenter. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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epicenter
noun
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