Meaning & use
epicenter
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
The point on the earth's surface directly above the origin of an earthquake.
Grammar: Countable; use 'the epicenter of' or 'an epicenter'.
Patterns
- the epicenter of an earthquake
- near the epicenter
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 50 kilometers offshore.
Seismologists quickly determined the epicenter and warned residents to evacuate.
Damage was most severe near the epicenter, where the shaking was strongest.
nouncountable
The central or most important point of a situation, activity, or problem.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'the epicenter of something'.
Patterns
- the epicenter of something
The city became the epicenter of the protest movement.
The company's headquarters is the epicenter of its global operations.
The scandal's epicenter was the finance department.
Word forms
| plural | epicenters |
|---|
Common combinations
- earthquake epicenter
- The earthquake epicenter was pinpointed by scientists.
- the epicenter of the crisis
- The region is the epicenter of the refugee crisis.
- near the epicenter
- Buildings near the epicenter collapsed.
- locate the epicenter
- Instruments can locate the epicenter within minutes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- focus
- In seismology, the focus is the point inside the earth where an earthquake starts, while the epicenter is the point on the surface directly above it.
- center
- Center is a general word for a middle point; epicenter is more specific and often suggests the most intense or important part of something.
- heart
- Heart is figurative for the most important part, but epicenter often implies a source of activity or trouble.
Word family
- epicentral adjective
- Relating to an epicenter.
Commonly confused: epicenter or hypocenter?
epicenter vs hypocenter
The hypocenter is the actual underground point where an earthquake begins, while the epicenter is the point on the surface directly above it.
Practice
The earthquake's ______ was located in the mountains, far from any city.
Choose one answer.
The epicenter is the point on the surface above the earthquake's origin. 'Hypocenter' is the underground origin, 'epicentral' is an adjective, and 'epicenters' is plural and would not fit with 'was'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “epicenter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.