center meaning and definition

CENTER noun

Definition of center (noun)

1. an area that is approximately central within some larger region
   • "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm"
   • synonyms: centre, eye, heart, middle
2. the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
   • "he hit the ball to deep center"
   • synonyms: center field, centerfield
3. a building dedicated to a particular activity
   • "they were raising money to build a new center for research"
   • synonyms: centre
4. a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
   • synonyms: centre, midpoint
5. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
   • "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story"
   • synonyms: centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum
6. the object upon which interest and attention focuses
   • "his stories made him the center of the party"
   • synonyms: center of attention, centre, centre of attention
7. a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
   • "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
   • synonyms: centre, nerve center, nerve centre
8. the middle of a military or naval formation
   • "they had to reinforce the center"
9. (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
10. (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
    • "the center fumbled the handoff"
    • synonyms: snapper
11. a place where some particular activity is concentrated
    • "they received messages from several centers"
    • synonyms: centre
12. politically moderate persons; centrists
13. (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
14. the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
    • synonyms: centre
15. mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
    • "a good plaza should have a movie house"; "they spent their weekends at the local malls"
    • synonyms: mall, plaza, shopping center, shopping centre, shopping mall
16. the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
17. (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
    • "it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback"
18. a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game

CENTER verb

Definition of center (verb)

1. center upon
   • "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work"
   • synonyms: center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around
2. direct one's attention on something
   • "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"
   • synonyms: centre, concentrate, focus, pore, rivet
3. move into the center
   • "That vase in the picture is not centered"
   • synonyms: centre

CENTER adjective

Definition of center (adjective)

1. equally distant from the extremes
   • synonyms: halfway, middle, midway
2. of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
   • antonym: right