center

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

The middle point of something, or a special purpose building

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sehnter

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsɛntɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.
A building dedicated to a particular activity
“They were raising money to build a new center for research.”
A place where some particular activity is concentrated
“They received messages from several centers.”
The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.
A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
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.

adjective

Of, at, or related to a center.

verb

transitive
To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.
intransitive
To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
transitive
To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
transitive
To give (something) a central basis.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.

Used this way, center is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Specialist/technical
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Specialized
Connotation: Clinical and technical
Usage feel: Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

Mathematics
Geometry
Academic writing
Education/classroom

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use center

“They were raising money to build a new center for research.”noun
“They received messages from several centers.”noun
“It is in the center of town.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

research centershopping centerhealth centercenter linecenter stagecommunity centercultural centercontrol center

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

centeringnounInflected form
The concentration of attention or energy on something.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

casualty care research centernounCompound term
An agency in the Department of Defense that is a national center for research on all aspects of injury control and casualty care.
center linenounCompound term
A line that bisects a plane figure.
center of attentionnounCompound term
The object upon which interest and attention focuses.
center of buoyancynounCompound term
The center of mass of the immersed part of ship or other floating object.
center stagenounCompound term
A position of prominence or importance.
center for disease control and preventionnounCompound term
A federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

centraladjectiveRelated term
In or near a center or constituting a center.
centralizedadjectiveRelated term
Drawn toward a center or brought under the control of a central authority.
centrallyadverbRelated term
In or near or toward a center or according to a central role or function.
centrifugaladjectiveRelated term
Tending to move away from a center.
centralisedadjectiveRelated term
Drawn toward a center or brought under the control of a central authority.
centerfoldnounRelated term
A magazine center spread.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference

midpoint

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.