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Glite Dictionary
🏛️ Community building 🏙️ City center
civic center

civic center

3.5
The central part of a city with public buildings and offices
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪvɪk ˈsɛntər/
  • US
translation icon : centro cívico
  • The Providence civic center.

Examples

  • However, a couple of months after the incident, the manager of the unit was promoted to a senior position within the civic center, and the assistant manager was promoted to manager.

    Blog text (19)

  • Who actually occupies the civic center?

    Blog text (19)

  • At eight P.M. on a beautiful summer's Friday night, she stood in an extensively winding line with Elise outside their hometown civic center.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The community held a festival in the civic center to celebrate local art and culture.

  • Many residents gather at the civic center to attend meetings about city improvements.

  • The civic center features the mayor's office along with various public service departments.

Synonyms

center
vscivic center
  • US
∞ 1.0

A place where people go for a service or activity

is an area in the heart of a city not a single building or facility
downtown
vscivic center
  • US
930 1.0

The main part of a city with many offices, shops, and restaurants

is centered on public buildings and government functions rather than commerce
city center
vscivic center
  • US
18 1.1

The main area of a city with most shops and offices

is more focused on public and governmental buildings than general shopping areas
urban center
vscivic center
14 3.4

A large city where many people live and work

is the central part of a city rather than the whole urban area
central city
vscivic center
4 3.3

The main busy area in the middle of a city where people work and meet

is about public buildings and offices rather than mainly business or culture
municipal center
vscivic center
1 3.8

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

is broader and includes public buildings and offices beyond administrative uses

How Central

city center
  • US
18 1.1
civic center
  • US
3.5
neighborhood
  • US
∞ 1.8
suburb
286 2.7
outskirts
3.0

Surface Forms

civic center singular
civic centers plural

Morphology

civic + center

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 comes from the idea of civic (about the city's people) plus center (the main area). Imagine the town's main square with city hall, libraries and offices, and you can see why it means 'the central part of a city' where public buildings are located.