CENTRE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does Centre mean? 

• CENTRE (noun)
  The noun CENTRE has 9 senses:

1. a low-lying region in central France

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

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

4. a place where some particular activity is concentrated

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

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

7. the object upon which interest and attention focuses

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

9. a building dedicated to a particular activity

  Familiarity information: CENTRE used as a noun is familiar.

• CENTRE (verb)
  The verb CENTRE has 2 senses:

1. move into the center

2. direct one's attention on something

  Familiarity information: CENTRE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CENTRE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A low-lying region in central France

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Instance hypernyms:

French region (a geographical subdivision of France)

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

France; French Republic (a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe)

Sense 2

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 ("centre" 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 "centre"):

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

midstream (the middle of a stream)

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

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)

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)

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

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)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 3

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 ("centre" is a kind of...):

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

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

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)

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)

core (the center of an object)

Derivation:

centre (move into the center)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 4

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 ("centre" is a kind of...):

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

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

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)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 5

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 ("centre" is a kind of...):

confection; sweet (a food rich in sugar)

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

chocolate candy (candy made with chocolate)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 6

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 ("centre" 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 "centre"):

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)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 7

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 ("centre" is a kind of...):

object (the focus of cognitions or feelings)

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

crosshairs (a center of interest)

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

cynosure (something that strongly attracts attention and admiration)

conversation piece (something interesting that stimulates conversation)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 8

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 ("centre" is a kind of...):

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

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

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)

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)

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

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)

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Sense 9

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 ("centre" 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 "centre"):

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)

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

Domain region:

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

• CENTRE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they centre    ... he / she / it centres   
Past simple: centred   
Past participle: centred   
-ing form: centring   

Sense 1

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 "centre" 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

Derivation:

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

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

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 "centre" 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 "centre"):

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

Domain region:

Britain (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Canada (a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada)

 Context examples 

The emperor’s palace is in the centre of the city where the two great streets meet.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

A study led by Dr Jianhua Guo from UQ's Advanced Water Management Centre focused on triclosan, a compound used in more than 2000 personal care products.

(Toothpaste and Hand Wash Are Causing Antibiotic Resistance, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Martin watched himself go into the centre, facing Cheese-Face, and he heard himself say, as he held up his hand warningly: They ain't no hand-shakin' in this. Understand?

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Andréa Taschetto, from University of New South Wales’ Climate Change Research Centre, tells SciDev.Net, Previous studies have suggested that MJO rainfall and circulation will change under global warming.

(Global disasters linked to warming Indo-Pacific seas, SciDev.Net)

These gas halos are the perfect food for supermassive black holes at the centre of these galaxies, which are now seen as they were over 12.5 billion years ago.

(ESO Observations Reveal Black Holes' Breakfast at the Cosmic Dawn, ESO)

PDS 70’s planetary companion has sculpted a transition disc — a protoplanetary disc with a giant “hole” in the centre.

(First Confirmed Image of Newborn Planet, ESO)

Such galactic outflows are driven by the huge energy output from the active and turbulent centres of galaxies.

(Stars Born in Winds from Supermassive Black Holes, ESO)

It is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre, although orbital calculations have found there is no risk of the asteroid colliding with the Earth.

(Biggest Asteroid Ever Detected Flies Past Earth, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A long-standing question is why only a small fraction of supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies are active.

(Supermassive Black Holes Feed on Cosmic Jellyfish, ESO)