- 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"
- the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher;
"he hit the ball to deep center"
- a building dedicated to a particular activity;
"they were raising money to build a new center for research"
- a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
- 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"
- the object upon which interest and attention focuses;
"his stories made him the center of the party"
- a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
"in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
- the middle of a military or naval formation;
"they had to reinforce the center"
- (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
- (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback;
"the center fumbled the handoff"
- a place where some particular activity is concentrated;
"they received messages from several centers"
- politically moderate persons; centrists
- (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
- the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
- 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 plaza should have a movie house" "they spent their weekends at the local malls"
- the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
- (American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play;
"it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback"
- a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
