View synonyms for epicenter

epicenter

[ ep-uh-sen-ter ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Also Geology. a point, directly above the true center of disturbance, from which the shock waves of an earthquake apparently radiate.
a focal point, as of activity:
Manhattan's Chinatown is the epicenter of the city's Chinese community.

epicenter

/ ĕp′ĭ-sĕn′tər /

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.
See Note at earthquake

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

Since then, Kisangani has been the epicenter of nearly every rebellion in the Congo.

It seemed that I, a staunch feminist, had found myself in the epicenter of macho culture.

“Expat bankers are definitely into the drugs/hooker scene, and Wan Chai is the very epicenter,” he told The Daily Beast.

The fact that these tensions are present even at the epicenter of the mindfulness world is telling.

Liberia, the epicenter of the epidemic, was relying on just 50 doctors to care for the entire nation before the outbreak occurred.

The ground motion near the epicenter was so violent that the tops of some trees were snapped off.

The location of an earthquake is commonly described by the geographic position of its epicenter and by its focal depth.

The Santa Cruz mountains suffered little damage from the seismic waves, even though they were close to the epicenter.

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