center Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an area that is approximately central within some larger region
    heart; middle; eye; centre.
    • it is in the center of town
    • they ran forward into the heart of the struggle
    • they were in the eye of the storm
  2. noun the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
    centerfield; center field.
    • he hit the ball to deep center
  3. noun a building dedicated to a particular activity
    centre.
    • they were raising money to build a new center for research
  4. noun a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
    midpoint; centre.
  5. noun the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
    kernel; substance; centre; nitty-gritty; essence; sum; meat; heart; pith; nub; heart and soul; core; inwardness; marrow; gist.
    • the gist of the prosecutor's argument
    • the heart and soul of the Republican Party
    • the nub of the story
  6. noun the object upon which interest and attention focuses
    center of attention; centre of attention; centre.
    • his stories made him the center of the party
  7. noun a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
    nerve centre; nerve center; centre.
    • in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
  8. noun the middle of a military or naval formation
    • they had to reinforce the center
  9. noun (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
  10. noun (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
    snapper.
    • the center fumbled the handoff
  11. noun a place where some particular activity is concentrated
    centre.
    • they received messages from several centers
  12. noun politically moderate persons; centrists
  13. noun (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
  14. noun the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
    centre.
  15. noun mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
    shopping centre; plaza; mall; shopping mall; shopping center.
    • a good plaza should have a movie house
    • they spent their weekends at the local malls
  16. noun the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
  17. noun (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
    • it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback
  18. noun a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
  19. verb center upon
    center on; revolve about; revolve around; focus on; concentrate on.
    • Her entire attention centered on her children
    • Our day revolved around our work
  20. verb direct one's attention on something
    centre; pore; focus; concentrate; rivet.
    • Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
  21. verb move into the center
    centre.
    • That vase in the picture is not centered
  22. adjective satellite equally distant from the extremes
    middle; midway; halfway.
  23. adjective of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually

WordNet

Cen"ter noun
Etymology
F. centre, fr. L. centrum, fr. round which a circle is described, fr. to prick, goad.
Definitions
  1. A point equally distant from the extremities of a line, figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of a circle; the middle point or place.
  2. The middle or central portion of anything.
  3. A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attaction.
  4. The earth. Obs. Shak.
  5. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who support the existing government. They sit in the middle of the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer, between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right, and Left.
  6. (Arch.) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position util the work becomes self-supporting.
  7. (Mech.) (a) One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves. (b) A conical recess, or indentation, in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe. ✍ In a lathe the live center is in the spindle of the head stock; the dead center is on the tail stock. Planer centers are stocks carrying centers, when the object to be planed must be turned on its axis.
Cen"ter, Cen"tre intransitive verb (Also<
  • Center
  • Centre
)
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Centered or Centred ; present participle & verbal noun Centering or Centring
Definitions
  1. To be placed in a center; to be central.
  2. To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest on, or gather about, as a center.
    Where there is no visible truth wherein to center, error is as wide as men's fancies. Dr. H. More.
    Our hopes must center in ourselves alone. Dryden.
Cen"ter, Cen"tre transitive verb (Also<
  • Center
  • Centre
)
Definitions
  1. To place or fix in the center or on a central point. Milton.
  2. To collect to a point; to concentrate.
    Thy joys are centered all in me alome. Prior.
  3. (Mech.) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.

Webster 1913