centre


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Related to centre: centre of gravity, dictionary

cen·tre

 (sĕn′tər)
n. & v. Chiefly British
Variant of center.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

centre

(ˈsɛntə) or

center

n
1. (Mathematics) geometry
a. the midpoint of any line or figure, esp the point within a circle or sphere that is equidistant from any point on the circumference or surface
b. the point within a body through which a specified force may be considered to act, such as the centre of gravity
2. (General Physics) the point, axis, or pivot about which a body rotates
3. a point, area, or part that is approximately in the middle of a larger area or volume
4. a place at which some specified activity is concentrated: a shopping centre.
5. a person or thing that is a focus of interest
6. a place of activity or influence: a centre of power.
7. a person, group, policy, or thing in the middle
8. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (usually capital) politics
a. a political party or group favouring moderation, esp the moderate members of a legislative assembly
b. (as modifier): a Centre-Left alliance.
9. (Physiology) physiol any part of the central nervous system that regulates a specific function: respiratory centre.
10. (Mechanical Engineering) a bar with a conical point upon which a workpiece or part may be turned or ground
11. (Mechanical Engineering) a punch mark or small conical hole in a part to be drilled, which enables the point of the drill to be located accurately
12. (General Sporting Terms) sport
a. a player who plays in the middle of the forward line
b. the act or an instance of passing the ball from a wing to the middle of the field, court, etc
13. (Basketball) basketball
a. the position of a player who jumps for the ball at the start of play
b. the player in this position
14. (Archery) archery
a. the ring around the bull's eye
b. a shot that hits this ring
vb
15. to move towards, mark, put, or be at a centre
16. (tr) to focus or bring together: to centre one's thoughts.
17. (often foll by: on) to have as a main point of view or theme: the novel centred on crime.
18. (Mechanical Engineering) (tr) to adjust or locate (a workpiece or part) using a centre
19. (intr; foll by on or round) to have as a centre
20. (General Sporting Terms) (tr) sport to pass (the ball) into the middle of the field or court
[C14: from Latin centrum the stationary point of a compass, from Greek kentron needle, from kentein to prick]

Centre

n
1. (Placename) the Centre (ˈsɛntə) the sparsely inhabited central region of Australia
2. (Placename) a region of central France: generally low-lying; drained chiefly by the Rivers Loire, Loir, and Cher
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cen•tre

(ˈsɛn tər)

n., v. -tred, -tring. Chiefly Brit.

Cen•tre

(ˈsɑ̃ trə)
n.
a metropolitan region in central France, SW of Paris. 2,371,000; 15,390 sq. mi. (39,062 sq. km).
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

middle

centre
1. 'middle'

The middle of a two-dimensional shape or area is the part that is furthest from its sides, edges, or boundaries.

In the middle of the lawn was a great cedar tree.
Foster was standing in the middle of the room.
2. 'centre'

Centre is used in a similar way, but it usually refers to a more precise point or position. For example, in mathematics you talk about the centre of a circle, not the 'middle'.

...the centre of the cyclone.

In American English, this word is spelled center.

At the center of the monument was a photograph.
3. other meanings of 'middle'

The middle of a road or river is the part that is furthest from its sides or banks.

...white lines painted along the middle of the highway.
We managed to pull on to a sandbank in the middle of the river.

The middle of an event or period of time is a period which is halfway between its beginning and its end.

We landed at Canton in the middle of a torrential storm.
...the middle of December.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

centre


Past participle: centred
Gerund: centring

Imperative
centre
centre
Present
I centre
you centre
he/she/it centres
we centre
you centre
they centre
Preterite
I centred
you centred
he/she/it centred
we centred
you centred
they centred
Present Continuous
I am centring
you are centring
he/she/it is centring
we are centring
you are centring
they are centring
Present Perfect
I have centred
you have centred
he/she/it has centred
we have centred
you have centred
they have centred
Past Continuous
I was centring
you were centring
he/she/it was centring
we were centring
you were centring
they were centring
Past Perfect
I had centred
you had centred
he/she/it had centred
we had centred
you had centred
they had centred
Future
I will centre
you will centre
he/she/it will centre
we will centre
you will centre
they will centre
Future Perfect
I will have centred
you will have centred
he/she/it will have centred
we will have centred
you will have centred
they will have centred
Future Continuous
I will be centring
you will be centring
he/she/it will be centring
we will be centring
you will be centring
they will be centring
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been centring
you have been centring
he/she/it has been centring
we have been centring
you have been centring
they have been centring
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been centring
you will have been centring
he/she/it will have been centring
we will have been centring
you will have been centring
they will have been centring
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been centring
you had been centring
he/she/it had been centring
we had been centring
you had been centring
they had been centring
Conditional
I would centre
you would centre
he/she/it would centre
we would centre
you would centre
they would centre
Past Conditional
I would have centred
you would have centred
he/she/it would have centred
we would have centred
you would have centred
they would have centred
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.Centre - a low-lying region in central France
France, French Republic - a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
2.centre - 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"
area, country - a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography); "it was a mountainous area"; "Bible country"
center stage, centre stage - the central area on a theater stage
central city, city center, city centre - the central part of a city
storm center, storm centre - the central area or place of lowest barometric pressure within a storm
financial center - the part of a city where financial institutions are centered
hub - a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation; a focal point around which events revolve; "the playground is the hub of parental supervision"; "the airport is the economic hub of the area"
inner city - the older and more populated and (usually) poorer central section of a city
medical center - the part of a city where medical facilities are centered
midfield - (sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse)
seat - a center of authority (as a city from which authority is exercised)
midstream - the middle of a stream
3.centre - a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figurecentre - a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
bight - the middle part of a slack rope (as distinguished from its ends)
center of curvature, centre of curvature - the center of the circle of curvature
bowels - the center of the Earth
bull's eye, bull - the center of a target
center of gravity, centre of gravity - the point within something at which gravity can be considered to act; in uniform gravity it is equal to the center of mass
center of mass, centre of mass - point representing the mean position of the matter in a body
core - the center of an object; "the ball has a titanium core"
navel point, navel - the center point or middle of something; "the Incas believed that Cuzco was the navel of the universe"
nombril - the center point on a shield
point - the precise location of something; a spatially limited location; "she walked to a point where she could survey the whole street"
core - the central part of the Earth
nucleus - the positively charged dense center of an atom
nucleus - (astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail
4.centre - a place where some particular activity is concentrated; "they received messages from several centers"
place, property - any area set aside for a particular purpose; "who owns this place?"; "the president was concerned about the property across from the White House"
nerve center, nerve centre - a center that provides information and control; "the nerve center of the diamond industry is in Amsterdam"
capital - a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product; "the crime capital of Italy"; "the drug capital of Columbia"
5.centre - the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
confection, sweet - a food rich in sugar
chocolate candy - candy made with chocolate
6.centre - 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"
cognitive content, mental object, content - the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned
bare bones - (plural) the most basic facts or elements; "he told us only the bare bones of the story"
hypostasis - (metaphysics) essential nature or underlying reality
haecceity, quiddity - the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
quintessence - the purest and most concentrated essence of something
stuff - a critically important or characteristic component; "suspense is the very stuff of narrative"
7.centre - the object upon which interest and attention focuses; "his stories made him the center of the party"
object - the focus of cognitions or feelings; "objects of thought"; "the object of my affection"
conversation piece - something interesting that stimulates conversation
crosshairs - a center of interest; "the war on terrorism has put Saddam Hussein in the crosshairs"
cynosure - something that strongly attracts attention and admiration; "if he was the cynosure of all eyes he didn't notice"
eye-catcher - a striking person or thing that attracts attention
8.centre - a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process; "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
neural structure - a structure that is part of the nervous system
auditory center - the part of the brain (in a fold of the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe on both sides of the brain) that receives impulses from the ear by way of the auditory nerve
olfactory brain, rhinencephalon - a center in the cerebral hemispheres that governs the sense of smell in lower animals; in humans it seems to mediate complex emotional behavior
Broca's area, Broca's center, Broca's convolution, Broca's gyrus, convolution of Broca - the motor speech center in the left hemisphere of the brain in most people
Wernicke's area, Wernicke's center - the auditory word center; located in the posterior part of the superior temporal convolution in most people
superior colliculus - an essential visual center between the retina and the striate cortex
inferior colliculus - an essential auditory center in the midbrain
respiratory center - the center in the medulla oblongata and pons that integrates sensory information about the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and determines the signals to be sent to the respiratory muscles
9.centre - a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were raising money to build a new center for research"
building, edifice - a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place; "there was a three-story building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice"
burn center - a center where patients with severe burns can be treated
call center, call centre - a center equipped to handle a large volume of telephone calls (especially for taking orders or serving customers)
civic center, community center - a center where the members of a community can gather for social or cultural activities
conference center, conference house - a center where conferences can be conducted
control center - the operational center for a group of related activities; "the general in command never left the control center"
research center, research facility - a center where research is done
service club - a recreational center for servicemen
settlement house - a center in an underprivileged area that provides community services
student center - a center for student activities at a college or university
Verb1.centre - move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not centered"
move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"
2.centre - direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"
engross, engulf, steep, soak up, immerse, absorb, plunge - devote (oneself) fully to; "He immersed himself into his studies"
cerebrate, cogitate, think - use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere"
rivet - hold (someone's attention); "The discovery of the skull riveted the paleontologists"
recall - cause one's (or someone else's) thoughts or attention to return from a reverie or digression; "She was recalled by a loud laugh"
think - focus one's attention on a certain state; "Think big"; "think thin"
zoom in - examine closely; focus one's attention on; "He zoomed in on the book"
take heed, listen, hear - listen and pay attention; "Listen to your father"; "We must hear the expert before we make a decision"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

centre

noun
1. middle, heart, focus, core, nucleus, hub, pivot, kernel, crux, bull's-eye, midpoint, centR (S.M.S.) A large wooden table dominates the centre of the room.
middle limit, edge, border, lip, margin, boundary, fringe, rim, brim, perimeter, periphery, circumference
verb
1. focus, concentrate, cluster, revolve, converge Our efforts centre on helping patients to overcome illness. All his thoughts are centred on himself.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
مَرْكِزمَرْكِز، النُّقطَةُ المَرْكَزِيَّهنُقْطَةُ المَرْكِزوَسَطيَتَرَكَّزُ في
středstřediskotěžištěumístitbýt v centru
centercentrerecentrumhoved-koncentrere
keskus
središte
középpontba állítösszpontosul: vmre összpontosul
aîal-, megin-miîja; miîbærmiîstöîsetja/færa í miîju, leggja áherslu ásnúast um
中心
중심
būti viduryjecentraskoncentruotispadėti į vidurįsuktis apie
centrētcentrskoncentrētkoncentrēties
byť stredomstrediskoťažiskoumiestniť do centra
središče
mitt
ศูนย์กลาง
merkezortalamakortaya yerleştirmeketrafında toplanmak/ yoğunlaşmakilgi merkezi/odağı
trung tâm

centre

center (US) [ˈsentəʳ]
A. N
1. (= middle) → centro m; [of chocolate] → relleno m
in the centreen el centro
the man at the centre of the controversyel hombre sobre el que gira la polémica
2. (= focus) → centro m
the centre of attentionel centro de atención
the centre of attractionel centro de atracción
a centre of intrigueun centro de intrigas
3. (= place for specific activity) → centro m
health centrecentro m de salud, centro m médico
4. (Pol) → centro m
5. (Sport) (= player, kick) → centro m
B. VT
1. (= place in centre) → centrar
to feel centred (mentally) → estar centrado
2. (Sport) [+ ball] → pasar al centro, centrar
3. (= concentrate) → concentrar (on en)
C. VI to centre (a)round/in/onconcentrarse en; [hopes etc] → cifrarse en
D. CPD centre court N (Tennis) → pista f central
centre forward N (Sport) → (delantero/a m/f) centro mf
centre of gravity Ncentro m de gravedad
centre party N (Pol) → partido m centrista
centre spread N (Brit) (Press) → páginas fpl centrales
centre stage N (Theat) → centro m del escenario
to take centre stageadquirir protagonismo, pasar a un primer plano
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

centre

center [ˈsɛntər] (US)
n
(= middle) [circle, room, town] → centre m
to be at the centre of sth (= of key importance to) → être au cœur de qch
(= focus) [attention] → centre m
(= building) → centre m sports centre
vt
[+ ball] → centrer
[+ text] → centrer
(PHOTOGRAPHY)cadrer
to centre o.s. (in boat)se placer au centre de
centre on
vt (fig)être centré(e) sur
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

centre

, (US) center
n
(= chief place)Zentrum nt
(= middle, Pol) → Mitte f; (of circle)Mittelpunkt m; (= town centre)Stadtmitte f; (= city centre)Zentrum nt, → City f; centre of gravitySchwerpunkt m; centre of attention or attractionHauptanziehungspunkt m, → Hauptattraktion f; (= person)Mittelpunkt mder Aufmerksamkeit; she always wants to be the centre of attractionsie will immer im Mittelpunkt stehen; the man at the centre of the controversyder Mann im Mittelpunkt der Kontroverse; left of centre (Pol) → links der Mitte; politician/party of the centrePolitiker(in) m(f)/Partei fder Mitte; the centre of the field (Sport) → das Mittelfeld; let’s go into the centrekomm, wir gehen in die Stadt!
(= community centre, sports centre, shopping centre)Zentrum nt, → Center nt
(Rugby) → mittlerer Dreiviertelspieler; (Basketball, Netball) → Center m
vt
(also Comput) → zentrieren; to feel centred (person)ausgeglichen sein
(= concentrate)konzentrieren; to be centred on somethingsich auf etw (acc)konzentrieren
(Sport) ballzur Mitte (ab)spielen

centre

, (US) center:
centre bit
n (Tech) → Zentrumbohrer m
centreboard, (US) centerboard
n (Naut) → (Kiel)schwert nt
centre court, center court (US)
n (Tennis) → Centre- or Center-Court m
centrefold, (US) centerfold
n doppelseitiges Bild in der Mitte einer Zeitschrift (= girl) weibliches Aktmodell, dessen Foto auf den Mittelseiten einer Zeitschrift abgedruckt ist
centrefold girl, (US) centerfold girl
n weibliches Aktmodell, dessen Foto auf den Mittelseiten einer Zeitschrift abgedruckt ist
centre forward
n (Sport) → Mittelstürmer(in) m(f)
centre half
n (Sport) → Stopper(in) m(f)
centre line
nMittellinie f, → Mitte f
centre party
nPartei fder Mitte
centrepiece, (US) centerpiece
n (on table) → Tafelaufsatz m; (fig) (of meeting, talks, treaty, statement)Kernstück nt; (of novel, work)Herzstück nt; (of show)Hauptattraktion f; the centre of this week’s events was …im Mittelpunkt des Geschehens dieser Woche stand
centre three-quarter
n (Rugby) → mittlerer Dreiviertelspieler, mittlere Dreivertelspielerin
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

centre

center (Am) [ˈsɛntəʳ]
1. ncentro
she is the centre of attention → è al centro dell'attenzione
2. vt
b. (concentrate) to centre (on)concentrare (su)
their demands centred round pay → gran parte delle loro richieste riguardavano il salario
her plans centre on her child → i suoi progetti ruotano attorno al bambino
3. vicentrare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

centre

(American) center (ˈsentə) noun
1. the middle point, or middle of anything; the point or area farthest from the edge. the centre of a circle; the city centre.
2. a place having, or designed for, a particular activity, interest etc. a centre of industry; a shopping-centre; a sports-centre.
3. the main point (of interest etc). the centre of attention.
verb
1. to place, or to be, at the centre.
2. (with on) to concentrate round. Her plans always centre on her child.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

centre

وَسَط střed center Zentrum κέντρο centro keskus centre središte centro 中心 중심 centrum sentrum centrum centro центр mitt ศูนย์กลาง merkez trung tâm 中心
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in classic literature ?
A young man, in a black suit, with a mop of hair and a preposterously tall starched collar, walked to the centre of the ring and held up his hand.
His bath robe fell away from him, and he stepped forth to the centre of the ring, naked save for the low canvas shoes and a narrow hip-cloth of white.
The declivity of the upper surface, from the circumference to the centre, is the natural cause why all the dews and rains, which fall upon the island, are conveyed in small rivulets toward the middle, where they are emptied into four large basins, each of about half a mile in circuit, and two hundred yards distant from the centre.
At the centre of the island there is a chasm about fifty yards in diameter, whence the astronomers descend into a large dome, which is therefore called FLANDONA GAGNOLE, or the astronomer's cave, situated at the depth of a hundred yards beneath the upper surface of the adamant.
Every house has from one to half a dozen of these white plastered domes of stone, broad and low, sitting in the centre of, or in a cluster upon, the flat roof.
It is in the centre of the church, and immediately under the great dome.
Haarlem, -- just as her neighbour, Leyden, became the centre of science, and her queen, Amsterdam, that of commerce, -- Haarlem preferred to be the agricultural, or, more strictly speaking, the horticultural metropolis.
The reader will readily understand that these feelings lessened toward the centre of the piece, acquiring most intensity at the extremes.
In the centre rose the Castle, on the highest point of all.
About a stout stake near the centre of the circling fires a little knot of black warriors stood conversing, their bodies smeared with white and blue and ochre in broad and grotesque bands.
In the centre of the eastern side of the Place, rose a heavy and hybrid construction, formed of three buildings placed in juxtaposition.
would run in a half-circle, keeping his head turned always toward the centre, and again he would stand still, barking furiously.

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