Center - Definition

adj 1: equally distant from the extremes [syn: center(a),
halfway, middle(a), midway]
2: of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically
or intellectually [ant: left, right]
n 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" [syn: center, centre, middle, heart,
eye]
2: the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the
catcher; "he hit the ball to deep center" [syn: center
field, centerfield, center]
3: a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were
raising money to build a new center for research" [syn:
center, centre]
4: a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the
extremities of a figure [syn: center, centre, midpoint]
5: 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" [syn: kernel, substance, core, center,
centre, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul,
inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-
gritty]
6: the object upon which interest and attention focuses; "his
stories made him the center of the party" [syn: center,
centre, center of attention, centre of attention]
7: a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process;
"in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
[syn: center, centre, nerve center, nerve centre]
8: the middle of a military or naval formation; "they had to
reinforce the center"
9: (basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
10: (football) the person who plays center on the line of
scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback; "the center
fumbled the handoff" [syn: center, snapper]
11: a place where some particular activity is concentrated;
"they received messages from several centers" [syn:
center, centre]
12: politically moderate persons; centrists
13: (ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
14: the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is
enclosed in chocolate or some other covering [syn: center,
centre]
15: 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" [syn: plaza,
mall, center, shopping mall, shopping center,
shopping centre]
16: the position on a hockey team of the player who participates
in the face off at the beginning of the game
17: (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"
18: a position on a basketball team of the player who
participates in the jump that starts the game
v 1: center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her
children"; "Our day revolved around our work" [syn: focus
on, center on, revolve around, revolve about,
concentrate on, center]
2: direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your
studies and not on your hobbies" [syn: concentrate,
focus, center, centre, pore, rivet]
3: move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not
centered" [syn: center, centre]