centre meaning

centre as a noun

1. an area that is approximately central within some larger region
   • it is in the center of town
   • they ran forward into the heart of the struggle
   • they were in the eye of the storm

   Synonyms: center, middle, heart, eye

   Type of: area

   Kinds: center stage, city center, storm center, financial center, hub, inner city, medical center, midfield, seat, City of London, midstream

2. a building dedicated to a particular activity
   • they were raising money to build a new center for research

   Synonyms: center

   Type of: building

   Kinds: burn center, call center, community center, conference center, control center, research center, service club, settlement house, student center

3. a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure

   Synonyms: center, midpoint

   Type of: point

   Kinds: bight, center of curvature, bowels, bull's eye, center of gravity, center of mass, core, navel, nombril, nucleus

4. the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
   • the gist of the prosecutor's argument
   • the heart and soul of the Republican Party
   • the nub of the story

   Synonyms: kernel, substance, core, center, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty

   Type of: content

   Kinds: bare bones, hypostasis, quiddity, quintessence, stuff

5. the object upon which interest and attention focuses
   • his stories made him the center of the party

   Synonyms: center, center of attention, centre of attention

   Type of: object

   Kinds: conversation piece, crosshairs, cynosure, eye-catcher

6. a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
   • in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere

   Synonyms: center, nerve center, nerve centre

   Type of: neural structure

   Kinds: auditory center, rhinencephalon, Broca's area, Wernicke's area, superior colliculus, inferior colliculus, respiratory center

7. a place where some particular activity is concentrated
   • they received messages from several centers

   Synonyms: center

   Type of: place

   Kinds: nerve center, capital

8. the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering

   Synonyms: center

   Type of: sweet

9. a low-lying region in central France

   Type of: French region

centre as a verb

1. direct one's attention on something
   • Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies

   Synonyms: concentrate, focus, center, pore, rivet

   Type of: think

   Kinds: steep, recall, think, zoom in, listen

2. move into the center
   • That vase in the picture is not centered

   Synonyms: center

   Type of: move

How to pronounce centre

centre is pronounced /ˈsɛntə/ in British English and /ˈsɛntɚ/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with centre

• enter
• inventor
• dissenter
• renter
• venter
• stentor