civic center
1
2.7
- noun
- /ˈsɪvɪk ˈsɛntər/
- US
:
centro cívico
- One can walk to the observation floor that provides views from the south deck to the civic center, and the north deck provides views to the urban village.
- a local civic center
Examples
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After the storm, the civic center served as a shelter for families who had lost their homes.
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I'd like to invite you to come down and talk to some of the people at the civic center and see for yourself.
Blog text (19) -
I'm having a reelection gala tomorrow night at the civic center.
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I remembered the aerial view I had seen and the fact that the entire development, from civic center to convention center, was tied together with the sequence of multiple parks.
Blog text (14) -
That mandate was reaffirmed in a recent editorial by DuPont Councilman Mike Courts stating, "The civic center decision cannot be undone, and the debt payments will be made."
Blog text (14) -
And they discussed items of musical interest, such as the possibility that the Cure might go on tour and play an unannounced free concert at the local civic center, where Elise and Erin would be invited from the front-row audience to come onstage.
Fiction book (2001) -
Every summer, the local community organizes a festival at the civic center to celebrate cultural diversity.
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The new play was performed at the civic center, drawing a large crowd of enthusiastic theatergoers.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A place where people go for a service or activity
64
1.8
A building where local people meet for events, classes, and activities
6
2.8
A building with rooms for meetings, talks, and events
How Public
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'central part of a city with public buildings' is directly and compositionally derived from 'civic' (relating to city or community affairs) + 'center' (a place providing services). This is a standard noun compound pattern found cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Civic center may come from the words civic (about the people or citizens of a town) and center (the main place). Picture a building where people meet for classes, shows and meetings, and that image explains why it means a place for social and cultural community activities.