CENTER

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does center mean? 

• CENTER (noun)
  The noun CENTER has 18 senses:

1. an area that is approximately central within some larger region

2. the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher

3. a building dedicated to a particular activity

4. a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure

5. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

6. the object upon which interest and attention focuses

7. a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process

8. the middle of a military or naval formation

9. (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team

10. (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback

11. a place where some particular activity is concentrated

12. politically moderate persons; centrists

13. (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team

14. the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering

15. 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

16. the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game

17. (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play

18. a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game

  Familiarity information: CENTER used as a noun is very familiar.

• CENTER (adjective)
  The adjective CENTER has 2 senses:

1. equally distant from the extremes

2. of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually

  Familiarity information: CENTER used as an adjective is rare.

• CENTER (verb)
  The verb CENTER has 3 senses:

1. center upon

2. direct one's attention on something

3. move into the center

  Familiarity information: CENTER used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CENTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An area that is approximately central within some larger region

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

center; centre; eye; heart; middle

Context example:

they were in the eye of the storm

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

area; country (a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

midstream (the middle of a stream)

seat (a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised))

storm center; storm centre (the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm)

midfield ((sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse))

medical center (the part of a city where medical facilities are centered)

inner city (the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city)

hub (a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve)

financial center (the part of a city where financial institutions are centered)

central city; city center; city centre (the central part of a city)

center stage; centre stage (the central area on a theater stage)

Instance hyponyms:

City of London; the City (the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries; the commercial and financial center of London)

Derivation:

centric; centrical (having or situated at or near a center)

central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

center; center field; centerfield

Context example:

he hit the ball to deep center

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Holonyms ("center" is a part of...):

outfield (the area of a baseball playing field beyond the lines connecting the bases)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A building dedicated to a particular activity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

center; centre

Context example:

they were raising money to build a new center for research

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

burn center (a center where patients with severe burns can be treated)

call center; call centre (a center equipped to handle a large volume of telephone calls (especially for taking orders or serving customers))

civic center; community center (a center where the members of a community can gather for social or cultural activities)

conference center; conference house (a center where conferences can be conducted)

control center (the operational center for a group of related activities)

research center; research facility (a center where research is done)

service club (a recreational center for servicemen)

settlement house (a center in an underprivileged area that provides community services)

student center (a center for student activities at a college or university)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

center; centre; midpoint

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

point (the precise location of something; a spatially limited location)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

bight (the middle part of a slack rope (as distinguished from its ends))

nucleus ((astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail)

nucleus (the positively charged dense center of an atom)

core (the central part of the Earth)

nombril (the center point on a shield)

navel; navel point (the center point or middle of something)

core (the center of an object)

center of mass; centre of mass (point representing the mean position of the matter in a body)

center of gravity; centre of gravity (the point within something at which gravity can be considered to act; in uniform gravity it is equal to the center of mass)

bull; bull's eye (the center of a target)

bowels (the center of the Earth)

center of curvature; centre of curvature (the center of the circle of curvature)

Derivation:

center (move into the center)

center (equally distant from the extremes)

central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)

centric; centrical (having or situated at or near a center)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

center; centre; core; essence; gist; heart; heart and soul; inwardness; kernel; marrow; meat; nitty-gritty; nub; pith; substance; sum

Context example:

the nub of the story

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

bare bones ((plural) the most basic facts or elements)

hypostasis ((metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality)

haecceity; quiddity (the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other)

quintessence (the purest and most concentrated essence of something)

stuff (a critically important or characteristic component)

Derivation:

central (serving as an essential component)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The object upon which interest and attention focuses

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

center; center of attention; centre; centre of attention

Context example:

his stories made him the center of the party

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

object (the focus of cognitions or feelings)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

conversation piece (something interesting that stimulates conversation)

crosshairs (a center of interest)

cynosure (something that strongly attracts attention and admiration)

eye-catcher (a striking person or thing that attracts attention)

Derivation:

center (center upon)

central (serving as an essential component)

center (direct one's attention on something)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

center; centre; nerve center; nerve centre

Context example:

in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

neural structure (a structure that is part of the nervous system)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

Wernicke's area; Wernicke's center (the auditory word center; located in the posterior part of the superior temporal convolution in most people)

respiratory center (the center in the medulla oblongata and pons that integrates sensory information about the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and determines the signals to be sent to the respiratory muscles)

inferior colliculus (an essential auditory center in the midbrain)

superior colliculus (an essential visual center between the retina and the striate cortex)

Broca's area; Broca's center; Broca's convolution; Broca's gyrus; convolution of Broca (the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people)

olfactory brain; rhinencephalon (a center in the cerebral hemispheres that governs the sense of smell in lower animals; in humans it seems to mediate complex emotional behavior)

auditory center (the part of the brain (in a fold of the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe on both sides of the brain) that receives impulses from the ear by way of the auditory nerve)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The middle of a military or naval formation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

they had to reinforce the center

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Sense 9

Meaning:

(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

basketball player; basketeer; cager (an athlete who plays basketball)

Domain category:

basketball; basketball game; hoops (a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop)

Instance hyponyms:

Bill Russell; Russell; William Felton Russell (United States basketball center (born in 1934))

Sense 10

Meaning:

(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

center; snapper

Context example:

the center fumbled the handoff

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

lineman (one of the players on the line of scrimmage)

Domain category:

football; football game (any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A place where some particular activity is concentrated

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

center; centre

Context example:

they received messages from several centers

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

place; property (any area set aside for a particular purpose)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):

nerve center; nerve centre (a center that provides information and control)

capital (a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Politically moderate persons; centrists

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

class; social class; socio-economic class; stratum (people having the same social, economic, or educational status)

Meronyms (members of "center"):

centrist; middle of the roader; moderate; moderationist (a person who takes a position in the political center)

Derivation:

center (of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually)

Sense 13

Meaning:

(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

hockey player; ice-hockey player (an athlete who plays hockey)

Domain category:

hockey; hockey game; ice hockey (a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled hockey sticks)

Sense 14

Meaning:

The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Synonyms:

center; centre

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

confection; sweet (a food rich in sugar)

Holonyms ("center" is a substance of...):

chocolate candy (candy made with chocolate)

Sense 15

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

center; mall; plaza; shopping center; shopping centre; shopping mall

Context example:

they spent their weekends at the local malls

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

mercantile establishment; outlet; retail store; sales outlet (a place of business for retailing goods)

Meronyms (parts of "center"):

food court (an area (as in a shopping mall) where fast food is sold (usually around a common eating area))

Sense 16

Meaning:

The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)

Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):

hockey team (a team that plays ice hockey)

Sense 17

Meaning:

(American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

lineman ((American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed on the line of scrimmage)

Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):

eleven; football team (a team that plays football)

Sense 18

Meaning:

A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):

position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)

Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):

basketball team; five (a team that plays basketball)

• CENTER (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Equally distant from the extremes

Synonyms:

center; halfway; middle; midway

Similar:

central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)

Derivation:

center (a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually

Similar:

centrist; middle-of-the-road (supporting or pursuing a course of action that is neither liberal nor conservative)

Antonym:

left (of or belonging to the political or intellectual left)

right (of or belonging to the political or intellectual right)

Derivation:

center (politically moderate persons; centrists)

• CENTER (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Center upon

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

center; center on; concentrate on; focus on; revolve about; revolve around

Context example:

Our day revolved around our work

Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):

bear on; come to; concern; have to do with; pertain; refer; relate; touch; touch on (be relevant to)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

center (the object upon which interest and attention focuses)

centering (the concentration of attention or energy on something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Direct one's attention on something

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

center; centre; concentrate; focus; pore; rivet

Context example:

Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies

Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):

cerebrate; cogitate; think (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments)

Verb group:

rivet (hold (someone's attention))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "center"):

absorb; engross; engulf; immerse; plunge; soak up; steep (devote (oneself) fully to)

recall (cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression)

think (focus one's attention on a certain state)

zoom in (examine closely; focus one's attention on)

hear; listen; take heed (listen and pay attention)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s on something

Derivation:

center (the object upon which interest and attention focuses)

centering (the concentration of attention or energy on something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Move into the center

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

center; centre

Context example:

That vase in the picture is not centered

Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Also:

center on (center upon)

Derivation:

center (a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure)

 Context examples 

The antipyretic activity may result from inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis and release in the central nervous system (CNS) and prostaglandin-mediated effects on the heat-regulating center in the anterior hypothalamus.

(Acetaminophen, NCI Thesaurus)

An achiral molecule has no chiral centers.

(Achiral, NCI Thesaurus)

It was designated as a comprehensive cancer center by NCI in 1974.

(Abramson Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

Neither of Tau Ceti's "super-Earths" lie in the center of its habitable zone.

(Potentially Habitable 'Super-Earths' Found Orbiting around Sun's near Neighbor, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Nerve structures through which impulses are conducted from a peripheral part toward a nerve center.

(Afferent Pathway, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A condition in which there is a slow breakdown of cells in the center of the retina (the light-sensitive layers of nerve tissue at the back of the eye).

(Age-related macular degeneration, NCI Dictionary)

It serves as a center of expertise for a full range of chemical and biochemical services in support of the cancer research.

(Analytical Biochemistry Shared Resource, NCI Thesaurus)

It became an NCI-designated cancer center in 2001 and achieved Comprehensive Cancer Center status in 2004.

(Alvin J Siteman Cancer Center, NCI Thesaurus)

Its functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group.

(Aldehyde, NCI Thesaurus)

Juno reached perijove (the point at which an orbit comes closest to Jupiter's center) on July 10 at 6:55 p.m. PDT (9:55 p.m. EDT).

(NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Spots Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory)