Definition of "epicenter" []

• The point of the earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake. (noun)
• A focal point: stood at the epicenter of the international crisis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "ReutersAt the time, Mr. Obama noted the war's "enormous costs in lives and resources" but said he was convinced that U.S. security was at stake in what he called the epicenter of violent extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
• "The glorious thing about shooting for the epicenter is the room for error."
• "The word epicenter refers to the point on the Earth’s surface above the underground center, or focus, of an earthquake."