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center

center

93 3.0
The middle part of a group or formation that is most important
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛntər/
  • US
translation icon : centro
  • There is a maximum security hospital in the center of the infected zone.
  • control center
  • center of power
  • brain centers

Nobody's ever seen any brain center working in great detail, right?

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Examples

  • An empty marble birdbath stood in the center of the green expanse.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • In the center of the battlefield is a tower.

  • We think about the state as being the center of the object.

  • Only the captain had remained at his post in the command chair at the center of the bridge.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • So here you are at the nerve center.

  • Several explosions, I felt at least four very close to the center of the city.

  • Trying to plan the process of financial globalization from the center is impossible.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The coup brought geopolitical doctrine and its forgers close to the center of the national political arena.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Patients were enrolled at sixteen clinical centers in Sweden between Dec 1, 1984, and Jan 31, 1989.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The kitchen was the nerve center of the house, and she used it as an office.

Synonyms

control center
vscenter
11 3.7

A place where people watch and direct a group's activities

is the central controlling part inside formations or systems rather than a physical facility
nerve center
vscenter
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A group of special cells that control a body function like breathing

is the general central part used across contexts, not only biological groups

Antonyms

31 4.0

The outer edge of a place or area, often away from the center

27 6.5

The outer edge of an area, group, or idea

Idioms

front and center
  • Informal
51 4.3

In a place where people notice it first

Compounds

A pair of tall towers in New York that were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks

64 1.8

A building where local people meet for events, classes, and activities

50 1.8

A place where young children are looked after while parents work

38 1.6

A large building with many shops and places to eat

center stage
  • Informal
30 3.8

A position or role that gets the most attention

29 3.2

A person or thing people notice most in a group

data center
  • Specialized
26 3.1

A place where many computers store and manage digital information

25 2.3

An area in a city where many hospitals and clinics are close together

20 2.7

A place where many people answer phone calls to help customers or take orders

18 1.1

The main area of a city with most shops and offices

A place where people study and test ideas about a subject

center of gravity
  • Specialized
14 4.5

The point in an object where its weight is evenly balanced

14 3.4

A large city where many people live and work

12 3.0

A player who plays in the middle of the outfield and catches long hits

A place where people watch and direct a group's activities

11 3.0

A player who stands in the middle of the outfield and catches balls hit there

A large piece of furniture in a home that holds a TV, speakers, and game consoles

8 3.9

The middle part of a stage where the main action happens

A building with rooms for meetings, talks, and events

5 3.4

A line that divides a shape into two equal parts

Being slightly left in politics and supporting some social change

center of mass
  • Specialized
5 5.7

Point in an object where we think its mass is concentrated for balance and movement

An area in Lower Manhattan where the World Trade Center stood before 2001, now a rebuilt complex with memorials

4 3.2

The part of the baseball outfield behind second base between left and right field

4 3.3

An area in a city where banks and companies deal with money

4 4.6

A place where people direct and control important activities and information

3 2.1

A building on campus where students meet, relax, and take part in activities

burn center
  • Specialized
3 3.9

A hospital unit that treats people with serious burns

3 3.8

The exact middle point of something

1 2.7

A building where people meet for events, classes, and community activities

1 4.1

A place where people found guilty of crimes are kept and given help to change their behaviour

The central area of a city where the city government has offices like the council and main library

center spread
  • Jargon
1 3.9

Two pages in the middle of a magazine or newspaper showing a large photo

A U.S. government health agency that studies and prevents diseases

control center
  • Specialized
1 3.4

An app that lets you monitor and control many devices

A United States intelligence group that coordinates efforts to stop terrorist attacks

dead center
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A position where the piston and rod are straight so the engine cannot turn

nerve center
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A group of special cells that control a body function like breathing

respiratory center
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A part of the brain that controls how fast and deep you breathe by sending messages to breathing muscles

1 2.9

An office that helps people find jobs by connecting them with employers

Broca's center
  • Specialized
7.5

A part of the brain usually on the left side that helps you speak

center of buoyancy
  • Specialized
7.4

The point in a floating object where the water pushes up on the part under water

center of flotation
  • Specialized
9.9

Point on a ship's waterline where the area of the hull at water level balances when the ship tilts

center punch
  • Specialized
7.4

A small tool with a pointed end that makes a dent to mark where to drill

center bit
  • Specialized
7.5

A small tool with a sharp point that guides a drill to make straight holes in wood

center of curvature
  • Specialized
7.9

The point at the center of the circle that best fits a curve near it

center of immersion
  • Specialized
9.9

The point where the weight of a boat or ship's part under water acts

3.5

The central part of a city with public buildings and offices

A U.S. Department of Defense center that collects and shares scientific and technical reports with government agencies and contractors

auditory center
  • Specialized
5.2

The part of the brain at the side of the head that processes sounds from the ear

A United States government school that trains officers from federal law enforcement agencies

machining center
  • Specialized
9.0

A machine like a milling machine that a computer controls to cut metal parts precisely

A main United States Navy group that designs and tests aircraft and missiles

A U.S. Navy center that develops and tests weapons and systems for ships

A U.S. Navy agency that gives technical help for submarines and weapons used under the sea

A US government center that keeps the world's largest collection of weather and climate records

transshipment center
  • Specialized
6.1

A port where goods arrive and leave without paying import taxes

4.4

The central area of a storm where winds and rain are strongest

5.8

The main place where trouble or debate happens

Wernicke's center
  • Specialized
8.8

An area at the back of the brain that helps people understand spoken and written language

How Central

core
468 3.2
center
  • US
93 3.0
hub
75 3.7
side
1 1.0
periphery
27 6.5

Surface Forms

center singular
centers plural
centres plural
centre singular

Etymology

Center comes from Greek kentron ('sharp point') and the idea of a central point of control, so the center is the part that holds a group together or controls a formation.