center

Pluralcenters

Formscenters, centering, centered

1. 1
   middle areanouncountable

   The middle region of something, at a distance from its edges or outer limits.

   The storm's most violent winds swirled around its center.

   Workers reinforced the bridge at its center, where stress is greatest.

   UsageUsually in the center of a place, or at the center of something.

   Similarmiddle, heart, core

   Oppositeedge, periphery

2. 2
   buildingnouncountable

   A building or complex set aside for a particular function or activity.

   The city opened a rehabilitation center for injured wildlife.

   Researchers gathered at the center to share their latest findings.

   UsageUsually after a noun naming its purpose: shopping center, health center. Capitalized in names such as Rockefeller Center.

   Similarfacility, complex, institute

3. 3
   nouncountable

   The point that is the same distance from every point on the edge of a circle or the surface of a sphere, or that lies midway between the two ends of a line.

   The architect marked the center before laying out the circular courtyard.

   Each radius runs from the center to a point on the circumference.

   Similarmiddle, midpoint

   Note

   This is the geometer's sense, the one most others grow from. Euclid, in Heath's 1908 translation, finds it by a test: a point inside a circle from which more than two equal straight lines reach the circle. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Heath's translation of Euclid's Elements was published in 1908. archive.org
   • Euclid's Elements III.9 gives the stated test for identifying a circle's center. archive.org
4. 4
   focus onverbintransitive

   To have one main thing as the focus, or to organize something around it.

   The investigation centered on a series of late-night transactions.

   Many families center their weekends around their children's sports.

   UsageUsually center on something; center around is also common.

   Similarfocus, revolve, hinge, concentrate

   Note

   Used without an object, the verb describes what something is about. With an object, it describes what an author does to a work, as when Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars (2012) says Lucas "centered the plot around" the Death Star plans. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars was first published in 2012. bloomsbury.com
   • The book uses the exact phrase "centered the plot around" about Lucas and the Death Star plans. en.wiktionary.org
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To position or adjust something so that it is at the middle of an area, or midway within a range of values.

   The designer centered the logo within the banner.

   Carefully center each tile before the adhesive sets.

   Note

   On a page or screen this is the everyday word for alignment: center the heading, center the logo. The verb keeps the noun's spelling through its endings, so American English writes centered and centering, while Matthew Prior's "Thy joys are centred all in me alone" shows the -re spelling, and a figurative use at that. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

   • The quoted line is attributed to Matthew Prior's Celia to Damon and is reproduced with "centred", used figuratively. en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   main focusnouncountable

   The element of a subject or discussion that is regarded as the most important or decisive.

   The funding shortfall quickly became the center of the council debate.

   Cost, not safety, was at the center of the parents' complaints.

   UsageUsually in set phrases: the center of attention, at the center of a debate.

   Similarfocus, heart, core, crux

7. 7
   adjective

   Located at, belonging to, or relating to the central point.

   The center aisle was reserved for the wedding procession.

   Traffic in the center lane slowed to a crawl near the bridge.

   Similarcentral, middle

8. 8
   basketballnouncountable

   In basketball, the player (generally the tallest on the team) who plays closest to the basket.

   The center pulled down rebound after rebound under the hoop.

   Coaches often build their defense around a dominant center.

   UsageOften with no article: he played center.

   Note

   All the sports positions called center share one idea: a player in the middle, whether of the playing area or of a line. In basketball the middle that counts is the area under the basket, so the position goes to the tallest player, who contests shots, pulls down rebounds and finishes close to the hoop. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The basketball center typically is the tallest player and plays near the basket. jr.nba.com
   • The basketball center contests opponents' shots. activesgcircle.gov.sg
   • The basketball center rebounds and scores close to the basket. jr.nba.com
9. 9
   ice hockeynouncountable

   In ice hockey, the forward who plays between the left and right wings and usually takes the faceoffs.

   The center skated hard to break up the opposing rush.

   A two-way center contributes at both ends of the ice.

   Note

   Hockey's center is the middle forward of a line of three, flanked by the left wing and the right wing. Taking faceoffs is the job that defines the position. A center who works hard in both the attacking and the defending zones earns the compliment "two-way center." Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • A forward line comprises a center between the left and right wings. en.wikipedia.org
   • Taking faceoffs is a characteristic responsibility of the center. en.wikipedia.org
   • A center praised for working hard in both attack and defense can be called a two-way center. media.d3.nhle.com
10. 10
    nouncountable

    In some team sports, such as rugby and netball, a player whose position is in the middle of the field or court.

    In rugby, the two centers line up in the middle of the back line, ready to break through the defense.

    Our netball coach moved her to center because she could keep running for the whole game without tiring.

    Note

    Here the word names a position by where the player stands, not by what the player does. Each sport then gives its center a particular job: in basketball the tall player under the basket, in ice hockey the forward who takes faceoffs, in American football the player who starts each play from scrimmage holding the ball. In field games, center can also mean the pass rather than the player: a ball sent into the middle. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • In basketball, the center is a tall player who plays near the basket. jr.nba.com
    • In ice hockey, the center is a forward who takes faceoffs. en.wiktionary.org
    • The center starts each play from scrimmage by snapping the ball. Kickoffs and other free kicks begin without a snap. static.www.nfl.com
11. 11
    moderate politicsnouncountable

    The bloc of moderate or centrist political parties, positioned between the left and the right.

    The new coalition drew support from the center and parts of the left.

    Reforms stalled when the center refused to back the budget.

    UsageUsually with the: support from the center.

    Note

    Politics borrows the geometry directly: line the parties up from left to right, and the moderates fill the middle. A center bloc can matter out of proportion to its size, because coalitions on either side often need its votes. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • A small center bloc can have disproportionate influence in coalition formation. en.wikipedia.org
    • Centrist parties can supply the support needed to form coalitions with either the left or the right. en.wikipedia.org
12. 12
    seat of powernouncountable

    The place where the head of government of a centralized state is based and rules from.

    The reforms were dictated from the center, with little input from outlying provinces.

    As the nation's center, the capital housed both the president and the parliament.

    Similarcapital

    Oppositeperiphery

    Note

    Historians use it for the seat of power as the provinces saw it. Pál Fodor's The Business of State, a history of Ottoman finance, shows the strain at the edges: tensions between officials and peasants in Anatolia, fierce clashes involving janissaries in the frontier provinces. The word works best in that contrast, as in "orders from the center," rather than as a plain synonym for capital. Source

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

    • Pál Fodor wrote The Business of State, a study of Ottoman finance. api.pageplace.de
    • The book describes tensions between officials and peasants in Anatolia. en.wiktionary.org
    • The book describes fierce clashes involving janissaries in frontier provinces. en.wiktionary.org

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