center

Plural: centers

Noun

• an area that is approximately central within some larger region
  • "it is in the center of town"
• the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
  • "he hit the ball to deep center"
• a building dedicated to a particular activity
  • "they were raising money to build a new center for research"
• a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
• the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
• the object upon which interest and attention focuses
  • "his stories made him the center of the party"
• a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
  • "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
• the middle of a military or naval formation
  • "they had to reinforce the center"
• (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
• (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
  • "the center fumbled the handoff"
• a place where some particular activity is concentrated
  • "they received messages from several centers"
• politically moderate persons; centrists
• (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
• the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
• 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
• the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
• (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"
• a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
• The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
• The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
• The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
• The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
• The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
• The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
• The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).
• A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
• The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
• The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
• A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
• A player in the middle of a playing area.
• One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
• A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
• A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
• A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
• One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
• A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
• 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.
• A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus
• The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
• The set of those elements (of a given algebraic structure) that commute with every other element, usually denoted Z(G). In the case of (semi-)groups, it is required that they commute under the (semi-)group operation; in the case of rings and (Lie) algebras, under multiplication (i.e. the bracket for Lie algebras)

Verb

Verb Forms: centered, centering, centers

• To place or be located in the middle of something.
• center upon
  • "Her entire attention centered on her children"
• direct one's attention on something
• move into the center
  • "That vase in the picture is not centered"
• To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
• To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
• To give (something) a central basis.
• To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
• To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.

Adjective Satellite

• equally distant from the extremes

Adjective

• of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually

Adj

• Of, at, or related to a center.

Examples

• He centered the heading of the document.
• He tried to CENTER his high-scoring letters around the triple-word bonus square.
• shopping center, convention center, civic center, garment center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center
• the center of attention
• the center of the controversy
• The discussion centered around the recent issues.
• The plot centers on the life of a working-class family.

Synonyms

center field, center of attention, center on, centerfield, centre, centre of attention, concentrate, concentrate on, core, essence, eye, focus, focus on, gist, halfway, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, mall, marrow, meat, middle, midpoint, midway, nerve center, nerve centre, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, plaza, pore, revolve about, revolve around, rivet, shopping center, shopping centre, shopping mall, snapper, substance, sum, center of gravity, center of mass, central, centroid, midst

Antonyms

left, right, periphery

Related Words

central

Anagrams of center