Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Central Time

Central Time

11 3.2
Time used in the central United States and some parts of Canada and Mexico, one hour behind Eastern Time
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛntrəl taɪm/
  • US
translation icon : hora central
  • The surgery is scheduled for 11:30 AM Central Time.

Examples

  • You'll find special deals online starting at 0001 hrs Central Time on Thanksgiving Day (Cyber Thursday).

    Blog text (28)

  • You have until midnight US Central Time (international times here) tonight.

    Blog text (3)

  • Have you set your watch for Central time?

    North by Northwest (1959)

  • So in the summer, it's like we're on Central Time, and in the winter, it's like we're on Eastern.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • You can enter your picks anytime between now and November 7th at midnight Central Time, and you're free to make changes up until that point.

    Blog text (6)

  • The debate starts at 8 PM Central time (7 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern time).

    Blog text (23)

  • The mini-series is set to premiere on the History Channel on November 13th at 9 PM and 8 PM Central Time.

    Blog text (20)

  • I got my 16GB in Houston, Texas, at 4:01 PM Central Time, and I didn't even wait like everyone else.

    Blog text (26)

  • Please call 1-800-SCHOLASTIC (1-800-724-6527) Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Central Time and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

    Blog text (33)

  • Have you set your watch for Central Time?

Synonyms

CST
vsCentral Time
  • US
5 3.9

The standard time used in the central United States, six hours behind UTC

is the broader time label and also applies to daylight saving at UTC-5
Central Standard Time
vsCentral Time
  • US
2 3.5

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

is broader, covering both standard and daylight saving times with different UTC offsets

Surface Forms

Central Time singular

Morphology

central + time

The meaning 'the standard time used in the central region' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'central' (located in the middle) + 'time' (clock time); a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the time for a central area (i.e., the Central Time Zone). This naming pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'hora central'), so a B1 learner would likely understand the concept even if they don't know precise UTC offsets.

Etymology

Central Time comes from the need, when long-distance trains began, to set the same clock across the middle part of a country so schedules matched. Imagine a wide stripe on the map through the center where people set their clocks the same way — so today Central Time is the common local time in the central United States, usually 'one hour behind' Eastern Time.