center
Syllables: cen·ter/ˈsɛn.tɚ/UK/ˈsɛn.təː/
center noun: the point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
Noun
center (plural centers)
- The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
- If a point be taken within a circle, and more than two equal straight lines fall from the point on the circle, the point taken is the centre of the circle.1908, Euclid, translated by Thomas L. Heath, Elements, III.9
- The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
- Japanese scientists are to explore the centre of the Earth. Using a giant drill ship launched next month, the researchers aim to be the first to punch a hole through the rocky crust that covers our planet and to reach the mantle below.2005 June 4, David Adam, The Guardian
- The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
- The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
- [...] their portion set
As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n
As from the Center thrice to th'utmost Pole.1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished... - Leo. No: if I mistake
In those Foundations which I build upon,
The Centre is not bigge enough to beare
A Schoole-Boyes Top.c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
- [...] their portion set
- The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.
- The point on a line that is midway between the ends.
- Synonyms:
- midpoint
- The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).
- The centroid is one of the centres of a triangle
- A point on a triangle's plane that is in some sense in its middle.
- There are several centers of a triangle such as its circumcenter, incenter, orthocenter and centroid.
- A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
- shopping center, convention center, civic center, garment center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center
- The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.
- The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.
- In Anatolia tensions between state officials (ehl-i örf) and the peasants were strained to breaking point.
At several places—particularly in the frontier provinces—there were fierce clashes between the janissaries stationed there and the governors. In Aleppo and Damascus incidents were common after...2018, Pál Fodor, The Business of State. Ottoman Finance Administration and Ruling Elites in Transition (1580s–1615) (Studien zur Sprache, Geschichte und Kultur der Turkvölker; 28), Berlin: Klaus...
- In Anatolia tensions between state officials (ehl-i örf) and the peasants were strained to breaking point.
- A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
- the center of the controversy
- the center of attention
- The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.
- The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.
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- The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.
- A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.
- A pass played into the centre of the pitch.
- Bent twice sent efforts wide of the far post after cutting in from the left, Wellbeck missed his kick from an inviting centre and failed to get on the end of a looping pass when six yards out.2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0 - 2 Blackpool”, in BBC
- One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.
- Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape.2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC
- A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.
- One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.
- A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.
- The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.
- The set of those elements (of a given algebraic structure) that commute with every other element, usually denoted Z(G). In the case of (semi-)groups, it is required that they commute under the (semi-)group operation; in the case of rings and (Lie) algebras, under multiplication (i.e. the bracket for Lie algebras)
Adjective
center (not comparable)
- Of, at, or related to a center.
- Synonyms:
- central
Verb
center (third-person singular simple present centers, present participle centering, simple past and past participle centered)
- To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
- ????, Matthew Prior, Celia to Damon
Thy joys are centred all in me alone. - He centered the heading of the document.
- ????, Matthew Prior, Celia to Damon
- To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
- To give (something) a central basis.
- However, Lucas also centered the plot around the protection of the secret Death Star plans, which now filled the role of the clan treasure the enemy is seeking in Hidden Fortress; […]2012, Michael Kaminski et al., chapter 7, in Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology, page 87
- To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
- The plot centers on the life of a working-class family.
- The discussion centered around the recent issues.
- To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.
Proper noun capitalized: Center
Center
- A surname.
- A statutory town in Rio Grande County and Saguache County, Colorado.
- An unincorporated community in Jackson County, Georgia.
- An unincorporated community in Howard County, Indiana.
- An unincorporated community in Jay County, Indiana.
- An unincorporated community in Warrick County, Indiana.
- An unincorporated community in Metcalfe County, Kentucky.
- A small city and town in Missouri.
- A village, the county seat of Knox County, Nebraska.
- A small city, the county seat of Oliver County, North Dakota.
- A city, the county seat of Shelby County, Texas.
- An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Washington.
Show 3 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- A town in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
- A town in Rock County, Wisconsin.
- A number of townships in the United States, listed under Center Township.
center meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
center in Hindi
- point equidistant from all points on the perimeter of a circle
- केंद्र kendra, वस्त vast, मरकज़ markaz, मरकज markaj
- point on a line midway between the ends
- केंद्र kendra
center in Tamil
- place where a function or activity occurs
- மையம் maiyam
center in Marathi
- point equidistant from all points on the perimeter of a circle
- केंद्र kendra
- point equidistant from all points on the surface of a sphere
- केंद्र kendra
- of, at or related to center
- केंद्रीय kendrīy
- cause to occupy the center
- केंद्रित करणे kendrit karṇe
center in Urdu
- point equidistant from all points on the perimeter of a circle
- مَرْکَز markaz, وَسْط vast
- point on a line midway between the ends
- مَرْکَز markaz
More languagesFewer languages
- center in Bengali
- কেন্দ্র kendro
- center in Telugu
- కేంద్రకం kēndrakaṁ, కేంద్రం kēndraṁ, నడుమ naḍuma, మద్య madya
- center in Malayalam
- കേന്ദ്രം kēndraṁ, മധ്യം madhyaṁ
- center in Kannada
- ನಡುವಿನ, ನಡು, ನಡುವೆಡೆ, ಮೊದಲೆಡೆ
- center in Punjabi
- ਕੇਂਦਰ kendar
- center in Gujarati
- કેંદ્ર kendra
- center in Odia
- କେନ୍ଦ୍ର kendra
- center in Sanskrit
- मध्य॑ mádhya, केन्द्र॑ kéndra
- center in Assamese
- কেন্দ্ৰ kendro
- center in Nepali
- केंद्र kendra
- center in Pashto
- منځ manź, وسط wasat, مرکز markaz
- center in Tagalog
- gitna, sentro, lunduyan
- center in Arabic
- مَرْكَز markaz, وَسَط wasaṭ, وَسْط wasṭ
- center in Malay
- pusat
- center in Indonesian
- pusat, tengah
- center in Thai
- กลาง glaang, เซ็นเตอร์ sēn-dtɤ̂ɤ, สถานี sà-tǎa-nii
- center in Vietnamese
- trung tâm, tâm, trọng tâm, trung điểm
- center in Myanmar
- ဗဟို ba.hui
Examples of center in a sentence
- The wave traveled from the center of the lake before breaking on the shore.
- The center passed to the left winger, who shot and scored.
- Gaines is a classic motor player with a low center of gravity and ridiculous strength.
Synonyms of center
Antonyms
Forms of center
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | centers |
| alternative Australia Canada Commonwealth Ireland New Zealand South Africa UK including usually | centre |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | centers |
| present participle | centering |
| past participle | centered |
| past | centered |
Origin of center
From Middle English center, centre, from Middle French centre, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron), from κεντεῖν (kenteîn, “to prick, goad”). Doublet of centrum. * (group theory): In the notation Z(G), the letter Z derives from the German Zentrum (“center”).
From center.
Words formed from center
- Adams Center
- adjustment center
- alt-center
- anticenter
- apocenter
- aquatic center
- area control center
- bandcenter
- barycenter
- behind center
- bottom dead center
- Brookfield Center
- burn center
- call center
- Canton Center
- center-back
- center back
- Center Barnstead
- centerbit
- center-board
- centerboard
- centercab
- center circle
- Center City
- center console
- Center Conway
- centerfield
- center field
- center fielder
- centerfire
- centerfold
- center forward
- Center Game
- centerground
- Center Harbor
- centerish
- center island
- centerless
- centerline
- center line
- centerman
- center mark
- center of attention
- center of buoyancy
- center of curvature
- center of effort
- center of excellence
- center of gravity
- center of inertia
- center of lift
- center of mass
- center of pressure
- center of symmetry
- Center Ossipee
- center part
- center parting
- centerpiece
- centerpin
- centerpoint
- centerpunch
Phrases with center
- F center
- Le Center
- center tap
- day center
- job center
- Lee Center
- center spot
- center taps
- city center
- Clay Center
- cool center
- cost center
136 more phrasesFewer phrases
- data center
- dead center
- Hale Center
- high center
- Rush Center
- side center
- town center
- center backs
- center marks
- center punch
- center spots
- center stage
- center stick
- civic center
- color center
- Eaton Center
- Essex Center
- Farbe center
- Hayes Center
- Lewis Center
- media center
- music center
- nerve center
- Niles Center
- power center
- Smith Center
- storm center
- tonal center
- under center
- Yates Center
- youth center
- Bovina Center
- center spread
- center square
- center sticks
- chiral center
- crisis center
- Desert Center
- fusion center
- gaming center
- garden center
- Grundy Center
- health center
- Hollis Center
- profit center
- Sidney Center
- sports center
- Valley Center
- Vernon Center
- Warner Center
- center circles
- center punched
- center punches
- Center Rutland
- center spreads
- center squares
- control center
- cooling center
- daycare center
- deictic center
- drop-in center
- fitness center
- Greeley Center
- Guthrie Center
- Jericho Center
- leisure center
- Lincoln Center
- medical center
- Newport Center
- Pomfret Center
- radical center
- Raynham Center
- science center
- service center
- Spieker center
- Trinity Center
- turning center
- warming center
- Windham Center
- Brooklyn Center
- center consoles
- center fielders
- center forwards
- center punching
- Center Sandwich
- cultural center
- day care center
- galactic center
- germinal center
- Highgate Center
- Mountain Center
- pleasure center
- Randolph Center
- Richland Center
- shopping center
- Sun City Center
- Thetford Center
- top dead center
- Wilshire Center
- Center Strafford
- community center
- detention center
- Fairfield Center
- front and center
- Lynnfield Center
- machining center
- Mansfield Center
- reception center
- Underhill Center
- Waterbury Center
- Center Tuftonboro
- convention center
- correction center
- Cumberland Center
- Manchester Center
- corrections center
- feminine of center
- fulfillment center
- world trade center
- correctional center
- distribution center
- masculine of center
- reassignment center
- entertainment center
- Galactic Center Lobe
- Poplar-Cotton Center
- Center of the Universe
- left, right and center
- right, left and center
- youth detention center
- emergency dispatch center
- vertical machining center
- horizontal machining center
- tactical air control center
- wilderness treatment center
- Moscow International Business Center
Words that rhyme with center
- enter
- tormentor
- concentre
- presenter
- renter
- stentor
- venter
- accentor
- cementer
- decentre
- preventer
- reenter
47 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- tenter
- assenter
- fermenter
- hypocentre
- indenter
- off-centre
- Valley Center
- absenter
- assentor
- augmenter
- augmentor
- barycentre
- centre
- coinventor
- concenter
- consenter
- correction center
- correction centre
- decenter
- dementor
- dissenter
- entre
- fermentor
- fomenter
- incenter
- incentre
- indentor
- innoventor
- inventer
- inventor
- inventour
- lamenter
- mentor
- metacentre
- misenter
- off-center
- orthocenter
- orthocentre
- precentor
- re-enter
- re-entre
- reentre
- repenter
- representer
- salipenter
- Siberian accentor
- tormenter
Questions about center
- What does center mean?
- Center means the point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
- What is center in Hindi?
- Center in Hindi is केंद्र (kendra), वस्त (vast), मरकज़ (markaz). See Center meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is center?
- Center can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce center?
- Center is pronounced /ˈsɛn.təː/ (UK).
- What is the plural of center?
- The plural of center is centers.
Words near center in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: center (page history and authors); Center (page history and authors); center (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); କେନ୍ଦ୍ର (Odia) (page history and authors); केंद्र (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-US center (nasal flapping).ogg.
Cite this entry: “center.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/center. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.