1. An area that is approximately central within some larger region
   "it is in the centre of town";
   - center [US], middle, heart [Brit], eye
    
2. A building dedicated to a particular activity
   "they were raising money to build a new centre for research";
   - center [US]
    
3. The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
   "he hit the ball to deep centre";
   - center field [US], centerfield [US], center [US], centre field [Brit, Cdn]
    
4. A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
   "The bridge's highest point was at its centre";
   - center [US], midpoint
    
5. A place where some particular activity is concentrated
   "they received messages from several centres";
   - center [US]
    
6. The object upon which interest and attention focuses
   "his stories made him the centre of the party"; "The newborn baby became the centre of attention at the family gathering";
   - center [US], center of attention [US], centre of attention [Brit, Cdn]
    
7. The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
   "the centre of the prosecutor's argument";
   - kernel, substance, core, center [US], essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty [informal]
    
8. A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
   "in most people the speech centre is in the left hemisphere";
   - center [US], nerve center [US], nerve centre [Brit, Cdn]
    
9. Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace
   "a good centre should have a movie house"; "a good shopping centre should have a movie house";
   - plaza, mall, center [US], shopping mall, shopping center [US], shopping centre [Brit, Cdn]
    
10. (basketball) the person who plays centre on a basketball team
    "The tall centre dominated the game with his rebounds";
    - center [US]
     
11. A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
    "At seven feet tall, he was the ideal centre for the team";
    - center [US]
     
12. (football) the person who plays centre on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
    "the centre fumbled the handoff";
    - center [US], snapper [N. Amer]
     
13. (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
    "it is a centre's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback";
    - center [US]
     
14. (ice hockey) the person who plays centre on a hockey team
    "The centre won the face-off and passed the puck to his winger";
    - center [US]
     
15. The position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
    "The coach moved him to centre"; "The centre won the face-off, giving his team early possession";
    - center [US]
     
16. (military) the middle of a military or naval formation
    "they had to reinforce the centre";
    - center [US]
     
17. Politically moderate persons; centrists
    "The party aimed to appeal to the centre of the political spectrum"; "The centre held the balance of power in the coalition government";
    - center [US]
     
18. The sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
    "He bit into the chocolate to reveal a creamy caramel centre";
    - center [US]

1. Centre upon
   "Her entire attention centred on her children";
   - focus on, center on [US], revolve around, revolve about, concentrate on, center [US], centre on [Brit, Cdn]
    
2. Move into the centre
   "That vase in the picture is not centred";
   - center [US]
    
3. Hold attention and exert mental effort on something
   "She centred her thoughts on solving the problem";
   - concentrate, focus, center [US], pore, rivet, pore over

1. Equally distant from the extremes
   "She sat at the centre position in the group photo";
   - center [US], halfway, middle, midway
    
2. Of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
   "The centre politician tried to appeal to both conservative and liberal voters";
   - center [US]

1. A low-lying region in central France
   - Centre-Val de Loire

Derived forms: centring, centres, centred

See also: central, centrist, go around, middle-of-the-road

Type of: area, basketball player, basketeer, bear on, building, cager, cerebrate, class, cogitate, cognitive content, concern, confection, content, country, displace, edifice, formation, French region, have to do with, hockey player, hoopster [N. Amer, informal], ice-hockey player, lineman, mental object, mercantile establishment, move, neural structure, object, outlet, parcel, parcel of land, pertain, piece of ground, piece of land, place, point, position, property, refer, relate, retail store, sales outlet, social class, socio-economic class, stratum, sweet, think, touch, touch on, tract

Part of: basketball team, choc [Brit, informal], choccy [informal], chocolate candy [N. Amer], chocolate sweet [Brit], eleven, five, football team, France, French Republic, hockey team, outfield

Encyclopedia: Centre, Ljubljana