center

Adjective

• of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually

• equally distant from the extremes

Noun

• a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts 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
    

• the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game

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

• (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team

• politically moderate persons; centrists

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

• (football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback
  • the center fumbled the handoff
    

• (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team

• the middle of a military or naval formation
  • they had to reinforce the center
    

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

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

• 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
    

• a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure

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

• the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher
  • he hit the ball to deep center
    

• 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
    

Verb

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

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

• center upon
  • Her entire attention centered on her children
    
  • Our day revolved around our work
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  center(a) , halfway , middle(a) , midway , plaza , mall , shopping mall , shopping center , shopping centre , centre , snapper , nerve center , nerve centre , center of attention , centre of attention , kernel , substance , core , essence , gist , heart , heart and soul , inwardness , midpoint , center
• Antonyms: 
  right , left