Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
CST

CST

5 3.9
The standard time used in the central United States, six hours behind UTC
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : CST
  • Our first meeting is at 7:00 PM CST on 31 August 2012.

Examples

  • Drawing will be held on January 1, 2011 at 9:00 am CST, so leave.

    Blog text (19)

  • The total phase lasts 74 minutes, wrapping up at 6:58 P.M. EST (5:58 P.M. CST).

    Academic text (2007)

  • Also, Bush is going to speak in the Rose Garden at 10:40 AM CST about the election.

    Blog text (13)

  • The event will start at 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday.

  • Make sure to submit your application by 5:00 p.m. CST tomorrow.

  • The meeting has been rescheduled to 10:00 a.m. CST next week.

Synonyms

Central Time
vsCST
  • US
11 3.2

Time used in the central United States and some parts of Canada and Mexico, one hour behind Eastern Time

is an abbreviation that denotes the fixed UTC-6 offset, not the shifting zone
Central Standard Time
vsCST
  • US
2 3.5

Time zone used in central United States that is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time

is an abbreviation referring to that fixed six hours behind UTC zone

Surface Forms

CST singular

Morphology

CST = Central Standard Time (semi-transparent) = C + S + T

The initialism maps directly to a multiword phrase (Central Standard Time); learners must know the expansion rather than derive meaning from the letters.

Etymology

CST is made from the first letters of Central Standard Time. The word Central means 'middle' and Standard means 'regular', so CST is the regular clock time used in the middle part of the United States, six hours behind the main world clock.