| Learning / English Dictionary |
CENTER
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)
Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):
basketball team; five (a team that plays basketball)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
Example:
it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
lineman ((American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed on the line of scrimmage)
Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):
eleven; football team (a team that plays football)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)
Holonyms ("center" is a member of...):
hockey team (a team that plays ice hockey)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A building dedicated to a particular activity
Example:
they were raising money to build a new center for research
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
burn center (a center where patients with severe burns can be treated)
call center; call centre (a center equipped to handle a large volume of telephone calls (especially for taking orders or serving customers))
civic center; community center (a center where the members of a community can gather for social or cultural activities)
conference center; conference house (a center where conferences can be conducted)
control center (the operational center for a group of related activities)
research center; research facility (a center where research is done)
service club (a recreational center for servicemen)
settlement house (a center in an underprivileged area that provides community services)
student center (a center for student activities at a college or university)
Sense 5
Meaning:
The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
Example:
he hit the ball to deep center
Synonyms:
center; center field; centerfield
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)
Holonyms ("center" is a part of...):
outfield (the area of a baseball playing field beyond the lines connecting the bases)
Sense 6
Meaning:
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
Example:
they spent their weekends at the local malls
Synonyms:
center; mall; plaza; shopping center; shopping centre; shopping mall
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
mercantile establishment; outlet; retail store; sales outlet (a place of business for retailing goods)
Meronyms (parts of "center"):
food court (an area (as in a shopping mall) where fast food is sold (usually around a common eating area))
Sense 7
Meaning:
A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
Example:
in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere
Synonyms:
center; centre; nerve center; nerve centre
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
neural structure (a structure that is part of the nervous system)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
respiratory center (the center in the medulla oblongata and pons that integrates sensory information about the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and determines the signals to be sent to the respiratory muscles)
inferior colliculus (an essential auditory center in the midbrain)
superior colliculus (an essential visual center between the retina and the striate cortex)
Wernicke's area; Wernicke's center (the auditory word center; located in the posterior part of the superior temporal convolution in most people)
Broca's area; Broca's center; Broca's convolution; Broca's gyrus; convolution of Broca (the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people)
olfactory brain; rhinencephalon (a center in the cerebral hemispheres that governs the sense of smell in lower animals; in humans it seems to mediate complex emotional behavior)
auditory center (the part of the brain (in a fold of the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe on both sides of the brain) that receives impulses from the ear by way of the auditory nerve)
Sense 8
Meaning:
The object upon which interest and attention focuses
Example:
his stories made him the center of the party
Synonyms:
center; center of attention; centre; centre of attention
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
object (the focus of cognitions or feelings)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
conversation piece (something interesting that stimulates conversation)
crosshairs (a center of interest)
cynosure (something that strongly attracts attention and admiration)
eye-catcher (a striking person or thing that attracts attention)
Derivation:
center (direct one's attention on something)
center (center upon)
central (serving as an essential component)
Sense 9
Meaning:
The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
Example:
the nub of the story
Synonyms:
center; centre; core; essence; gist; heart; heart and soul; inwardness; kernel; marrow; meat; nitty-gritty; nub; pith; substance; sum
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
bare bones ((plural) the most basic facts or elements)
hypostasis ((metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality)
haecceity; quiddity (the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other)
quintessence (the purest and most concentrated essence of something)
stuff (a critically important or characteristic component)
Derivation:
central (serving as an essential component)
Sense 10
Meaning:
The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
Synonyms:
center; centre
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
confection; sweet (a food rich in sugar)
Holonyms ("center" is a substance of...):
chocolate candy (candy made with chocolate)
Sense 11
Meaning:
Politically moderate persons; centrists
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
class; social class; socio-economic class; stratum (people having the same social, economic, or educational status)
Meronyms (members of "center"):
centrist; middle of the roader; moderate; moderationist (a person who takes a position in the political center)
Derivation:
center (of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually)
Sense 12
Meaning:
The middle of a military or naval formation
Example:
they had to reinforce the center
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Sense 13
Meaning:
A place where some particular activity is concentrated
Example:
they received messages from several centers
Synonyms:
center; centre
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
place; property (any area set aside for a particular purpose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
capital (a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product)
nerve center; nerve centre (a center that provides information and control)
Sense 14
Meaning:
A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
Synonyms:
center; centre; midpoint
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
point (the precise location of something; a spatially limited location)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
nucleus ((astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail)
nucleus (the positively charged dense center of an atom)
core (the central part of the Earth)
nombril (the center point on a shield)
navel; navel point (the center point or middle of something)
core (the center of an object)
center of mass; centre of mass (point representing the mean position of the matter in a body)
center of gravity; centre of gravity (the point within something at which gravity can be considered to act; in uniform gravity it is equal to the center of mass)
bull; bull's eye (the center of a target)
bowels (the center of the Earth)
center of curvature; centre of curvature (the center of the circle of curvature)
bight (the middle part of a slack rope (as distinguished from its ends))
Derivation:
center (move into the center)
center (equally distant from the extremes)
central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)
centric; centrical (having or situated at or near a center)
Sense 15
Meaning:
An area that is approximately central within some larger region
Example:
they were in the eye of the storm
Synonyms:
center; centre; eye; heart; middle
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
area; country (a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "center"):
midstream (the middle of a stream)
seat (a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised))
midfield ((sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse))
medical center (the part of a city where medical facilities are centered)
inner city (the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city)
hub (a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve)
financial center (the part of a city where financial institutions are centered)
storm center; storm centre (the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm)
central city; city center; city centre (the central part of a city)
center stage; centre stage (the central area on a theater stage)
Instance hyponyms:
City of London; the City (the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries; the commercial and financial center of London)
Derivation:
centrical; centric (having or situated at or near a center)
central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)
Sense 16
Meaning:
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
Example:
the center fumbled the handoff
Synonyms:
center; snapper
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
lineman (one of the players on the line of scrimmage)
Domain category:
football; football game (any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal)
Sense 17
Meaning:
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
basketball player; basketeer; cager (an athlete who plays basketball)
Domain category:
basketball; basketball game; hoops (a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop)
Instance hyponyms:
Bill Russell; Russell; William Felton Russell (United States basketball center (born in 1934))
Sense 18
Meaning:
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("center" is a kind of...):
hockey player; ice-hockey player (an athlete who plays hockey)
Domain category:
hockey; hockey game; ice hockey (a game played on an ice rink by two opposing teams of six skaters each who try to knock a flat round puck into the opponents' goal with angled hockey sticks)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Equally distant from the extremes
Synonyms:
center; halfway; middle; midway
Classified under:
Similar:
central (in or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area)
Derivation:
center (a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
Classified under:
Similar:
centrist; middle-of-the-road (supporting or pursuing a course of action that is neither liberal nor conservative)
Antonym:
left (of or belonging to the political or intellectual left)
right (of or belonging to the political or intellectual right)
Derivation:
center (politically moderate persons; centrists)
III. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they center ... he / she / it centers
Past simple: centered
Past participle: centered
-ing form: centering
Sense 1
Meaning:
Direct one's attention on something
Example:
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies
Synonyms:
center; centre; concentrate; focus; pore; rivet
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):
cerebrate; cogitate; think (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments)
Verb group:
rivet (hold (someone's attention))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "center"):
absorb; engross; engulf; immerse; plunge; soak up; steep (devote (oneself) fully to)
recall (cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression)
think (focus one's attention on a certain state)
zoom in (examine closely; focus one's attention on)
hear; listen; take heed (listen and pay attention)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s on something
Derivation:
center (the object upon which interest and attention focuses)
centering (the concentration of attention or energy on something)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Move into the center
Example:
That vase in the picture is not centered
Synonyms:
center; centre
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):
displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Also:
center on (center upon)
Derivation:
center (a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Center upon
Example:
Our day revolved around our work
Synonyms:
center; center on; concentrate on; focus on; revolve about; revolve around
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "center" is one way to...):
bear on; come to; concern; have to do with; pertain; refer; relate; touch; touch on (be relevant to)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
center (the object upon which interest and attention focuses)
centering (the concentration of attention or energy on something)
Context examples:
Combined with existing data and improved remote sensing instruments, the map, gives scientists new tools to investigate ocean spreading centers and little-studied remote ocean basins.
(New map uncovers thousands of unseen seamounts on ocean floor, NSF)
To help fill the research gap, scientists conducted the Age of Blood in Children in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (ABC-PICU) randomized trial at 50 medical centers between February 2014 and November 2018.
(Fresh red blood cell transfusions do not help critically ill children more than older cells, National Institutes of Health)
Researchers were able to show that celastrol specifically activates satiety centers in the brain, which play a central role in the control of body weight.
(German scientists find potential treatment for obesity, Agência Brasil)
Our paper rewrites the history of Late Antiquity from an environmental perspective that doesn't assume plague was responsible for changing the world, said Merle Eisenberg, also of the synthesis center.
(Justinianic plague not a landmark pandemic?, National Science Foundation)
The so-called "rogue" planet does not revolve around a star, but instead rotates around the galactic center in interstellar space.
(Astronomers Discover New Planet Not Orbiting Any Star, VOA)
SOFIA's image shows gas in blue as it's heated by massive stars located near the center, and dust in green that is warmed both by existing massive stars and nearby newborn stars.
(SOFIA Reveals How the Swan Nebula Hatched, NASA)
The work has moved microbiology and genetics research from the wet lab to the data center — creating a computational approach to studying organism interactions and evolution called metagenomics.
(Microbes are at work in our bodies, and researchers have figured out what they're up to, National Science Foundation)
An accretion disk is a spiraling mass of material centered around a monumental source of gravity consuming interstellar material–what researchers have theorized is a black hole.
(Astronomers Study How Quasars Are Powered by Accretion Disks, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
All his wishes centered in domestic comfort and the quiet of private life.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
Electrical recordings and tracing experiments showed that many of the hypothalamic MCH cells sent inhibitory messages, via long stringy axons, to the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center.
(The brain may actively forget during dream sleep, National Institutes of Health)
