centre

noun · verb · Centre proper noun

UKSEN-tuh/ˈsɛntə/SEN-tur/ˈsɛntəɹ/

Pluralcentres

Verbcentres, centring, centred

US spellingcenter

25 meanings of centre

Practice

1
middle areanoun
The part in the middle of something, a long way from its sides or edges.
She put a bowl of fruit in the centre of the table.
We put our tent up right in the centre of the field.
UsageSay in the centre of a place or thing. For time, say in the middle of the night.
Similarheart
2
purpose buildingnoun
A building or place used for a particular activity.
We take the children swimming at the leisure centre on Saturdays.
The new health centre opens next month.
UsagePut the activity first: sports centre, health centre.
3
middle of townnouncountable
The area of a town or city that has most of its shops, offices and services.
We took the bus into the centre to buy new school shoes.
Parking in the centre is so expensive that most people walk in.
UsageSay the town centre or the city centre.
Oppositeoutskirts, suburbs
4
revolve aroundverbtransitive or intransitive
To be mainly about something, or to make something the main thing that a plan or talk is about.
Most of the questions centre on the second half of the book.
Our chat at lunch centred around the new school rules.
UsageSay a talk or story centres on something. Centre around is common too.
5
hubnouncountable
A place where a lot of one kind of activity happens.
Oxford has been a centre of learning for hundreds of years.
The town became a centre for making cars after the war.
UsageSay a centre of or a centre for something: a centre of learning.
Similarhub, capital, focus
6
point (geometry)noun
The exact middle of a shape or line, for example the middle of a circle or ball, or halfway along a line.
Put the point of the compass on the centre and draw a circle.
The centre of each circle is marked with a small dot.
7
put in middleverbtransitive
To put something in the middle of a space.
Centre the picture on the wall before you put the nail in.
He centred the title at the top of the page.
UsageSay centre it on the page. Write centring, with no extra e.
Note
8
noun
The most important part or subject, the one that everything else is about.
The new baby was the centre of attention all evening.
Who pays the bills is at the centre of most rows in our flat.
UsageSay at the centre of something, or the centre of attention.
9
middle playernoun
In sports such as rugby, netball and basketball, a player whose place is in the middle of the team, or that place.
Our centre broke through and scored under the posts.
He has played at centre for Wales for five seasons.
UsageSay someone plays at centre, with no the.
Note
10
national governmentnoun
The main government that runs a whole country, not the smaller governments of its regions or towns.
Orders came from the centre, and every province had to obey them.
Most decisions about schools are made at the centre, not by local councils.

Less common meanings

11
moderate partiesnoun
Moderate political views between the left and the right, or the parties and people who have them.
Both big parties are trying to win votes from the centre.
The parties of the centre agreed to work together.
UsageSay the centre, as you say the left and the right.
12
sweet fillingnouncountable
The filling inside a chocolate or another sweet.
My gran loves chocolates with a soft orange centre.
He bit the sweet in half and the sticky toffee centre ran out.
Similarfilling
13
nerve cellsnouncountable
A group of nerve cells that controls one of the things the body does.
The stroke damaged the centre in her brain that controls speech.
A centre deep in the brain tells your body when to be sick.
14
adjust levelverbtransitive
To set something, such as a level or a control, halfway between its highest and lowest points.
Centre the volume slider so the music is neither too loud nor too quiet.
The engineer centred the signal so it was neither too high nor too low.
15
cross (football)noun
In football, a pass kicked from the side of the pitch into the area near the other team's goal.
The striker headed the centre into the net.
He ran down the wing and sent in a high centre.
UsageYou can also say a player centres the ball.
Note
16
heart of universenounobsolete
The middle of the Earth, or the Earth itself, thought of as the middle and base of the whole universe.
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, William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”
Note
17
French regionproper noun · Centre
The former name of a region of France that is now called Centre-Val de Loire.
We spent a week cycling through Centre, past old castles and vineyards.
My aunt lived in Centre before the region got its new name.
18
noun
The middle point of any shape, worked out as the average position of all the points on its edge.
19
noun
In the betting game two-up, the ring in which the spinner stands and plays.
20
noun
A temporary frame that holds up the parts of an arch or vault until it can stand on its own.
21
noun
In a lathe, one of two pointed steel pins that hold the piece being shaped while it turns.
22
noun
A small cone-shaped hole in the end of a rod or other piece, where a lathe pin fits.
23
verb
To make a small cone-shaped hole in the end of a piece so that a lathe pin can fit into it.
24
noun
In maths, the elements of a structure that give the same result in either order when combined with any other element.
25
proper noun
A county in the US state of Pennsylvania, called Centre County in full.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of centre apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From French and Latin, from a Greek word for a sharp point, from a verb meaning "to prick".

Checked 4 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Centre comes through French and Latin. en.wiktionary.org
The Greek source word κέντρον means a sharp point. en.wiktionary.org
The Greek noun derives from a verb meaning “to prick”. en.wiktionary.org