An area that is approximately central within some larger region:
— It is in the center of town.

synonyms: centre, eye, heart, middle.

Roget 68: middle, midst, mediety^†, mean etc. 29; medium, middle term; center etc. 222, mid-course etc. 628; mezzo termine [It]; juste milieu [Fr.] etc. 628; halfway house, nave, navel, omphalos^†; nucleus, nucleolus.    equidistance^†, bisection, half distance; equator, diaphragm, midriff; intermediate etc. 228.    ... show more

Roget 74: focus; point of convergence etc. 290; corradiation^†; center etc. 222; gathering place, resort haunt retreat; venue; rendezvous; rallying point, headquarters, home, club; depot etc. (store) 636; trysting place; place of meeting, place of resort, place of assignation; point de reunion; issue.    ... show more

Dutch: hart, kern
Polish: centrum

The piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher:
— He hit the ball to deep center.

synonyms: center field, centerfield.

A building dedicated to a particular activity:
— They were raising money to build a new center for research.

synonym: centre.

Dutch: centrum, middelpunt

A point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure.

synonyms: centre, midpoint.

Dutch: middelpunt, centrum, middelstuk, midden, middengedeelte, middenstuk
Polish: środek, centrum, serce

The choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience.

synonyms: centre, core, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, nitty-gritty, nub, pith, substance, sum ... show more.

Roget 222: centrality, centricalness^†, center; middle etc. 68; focus etc. 74.    core, kernel; nucleus, nucleolus; heart, pole axis, bull's eye; nave, navel; umbilicus, backbone, marrow, pith; vertebra, vertebral column; hotbed; concentration etc. (convergence) 290; centralization; symmetry.    center of gravity, center of pressure, center of percussion, center of oscillation, center of buoyancy &c.; metacenter^†.    ... show more

Dutch: bijzonderheid, kerngedachte, essentialia, essentie, grond, hoofdpunt, hoofdzaak, hypostase, kern, kernpunt, kwintessens, primaat, substantie, wezen, zwaartepunt ... show more
Polish: istota, esencja, sedno, jądro, meritum, kwintesencja

The object upon which interest and attention focuses:
— His stories made him the center of the party.

synonyms: center of attention, centre, centre of attention.

A cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process:
— In most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere.

synonyms: centre, nerve center, nerve centre.

Dutch: hersens, zenuwcentrum
Polish: ośrodek

The middle of a military or naval formation.

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.

synonym: snapper.

A place where some particular activity is concentrated:
— They received messages from several centers.

synonym: centre.

Polish: centrum, ośrodek, ognisko

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.

synonym: centre.

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.

synonyms: mall, plaza, shopping center, shopping centre, shopping mall.

Dutch: winkelcentrum, galerij, winkelgalerij
Polish: centrum handlowe

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.

A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game.

Center upon:
— Her entire attention centered on her children.

synonyms: center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around.

Direct one's attention on something.

synonyms: centre, concentrate, focus, pore, rivet.

Dutch: concentreren, richten

Move into the center:
— That vase in the picture is not centered.

synonym: centre.

Equally distant from the extremes.

synonyms: halfway, middle, midway.

Of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually.