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Central vs. Center — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Central and Center

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Definitions

Central

At the point or in the area that is in the middle of something
Central London
The station has a central courtyard

Center

A point or place that is equally distant from the sides or outer boundaries of something; the middle
The center of a stage.

Central

Of the greatest importance; principal or essential
His preoccupation with history is central to his work

Center

A point equidistant from the vertices of a regular polygon.

Central

A place with a high concentration of a specified type of person or thing
You're in workaholic central here
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Center

A point equidistant from all points on the circumference of a circle or on the surface of a sphere.

Central

Situated at, in, or near the center
The central states.

Center

A point around which something rotates or revolves
The sun is the center of our solar system.

Central

Forming the center.

Center

A part of an object that is surrounded by the rest; a core
Chocolates with soft centers.
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Central

Having dominant or controlling power or influence
The company's central office.

Center

A place where a particular activity or service is concentrated
A medical center.

Central

Of basic importance; essential or principal
“Performance, including technological invention and artistic creation, will become central to education at all levels” (Frederick Turner).

Center

A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions
A center of power.
A center of unrest.

Central

Easily reached from various points
A central location for the new store.

Center

An area of dense population
A metropolitan center.

Central

Of or constituting a single source controlling all components of a system
Central air conditioning.

Center

A person or thing that is the chief object of attention, interest, activity, or emotion.

Central

Of, relating to, or originating from the nervous system.

Center

A person, object, or group occupying a middle position.

Central

Relating to a centrum.

Center

Often Center A political group or a set of policies representing a moderate view between those of the right and the left.

Central

(Linguistics) Articulated in the middle of the oral cavity; neither front nor back. Used of vowels, as the u in cut.

Center

(Physiology) A group of neurons in the central nervous system that control a particular function
The vasomotor center.

Central

Holding to a moderate ideological position between two extremes.

Center

(Sports) A player who holds a middle position on the field, court, or forward line in some team sports, such as hockey and basketball.

Central

A telephone exchange.

Center

(Football) An offensive lineman who snaps the ball to begin a play, usually positioned in the middle of the line.

Central

An operator at a telephone exchange.

Center

(Baseball) Center field.

Central

A location or agency for the control or coordination of a group of related activities
Air command central.

Center

A small conical hole made in a piece of work with a center punch so that a drill can be accurately positioned within it.

Central

A place that is a notable site for a given activity
Their apartment was party central on weekends.

Center

A bar with a conical point used to support work, as during turning on a lathe.

Central

A place that is characterized by a high concentration of a given thing
On Saturdays, the zoo is toddler central.

Center

A centering.

Central

Being in the centre.

Center

A point in space equidistant from all the points on an arch or on a portion of an arch.

Central

Having or containing the centre of something.

Center

To place in or at the center
Centered the vase on the table.

Central

Being very important, or key to something.

Center

To direct toward a center or central point; concentrate or focus
Tried to center the discussion on the main issues.

Central

(anatomy) Exerting its action towards the peripheral organs.

Center

To pass (a ball or puck) toward the center of a playing area.

Central

Centre

Center

To play as a center on (a line), as in ice hockey.

Central

Relating to the center; situated in or near the center or middle; containing the center; of or pertaining to the parts near the center; equidistant or equally accessible from certain points.

Center

(Football) To hike (the ball) to begin a down.

Central

The central, or one of the central, bones of the carpus or or tarsus. In the tarsus of man it is represented by the navicular.

Center

To be concentrated; cluster
The epidemic centered in the urban areas.

Central

A workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication

Center

To have a central theme or concern; be focused
Her novels center on the problems of adolescence.

Central

Serving as an essential component;
A cardinal rule
The central cause of the problem
An example that was fundamental to the argument
Computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure

Center

(Sports) To play as a center.

Central

In or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area;
A central position
Central heating and air conditioning

Center

The point in the interior of a circle that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.

Central

Used in the description of a place that in the middle of another place;
The people of Central and Northern Europe
Country in central Africa

Center

The point in the interior of a sphere that is equidistant from all points on the circumference.

Central

Centrally located and easy to reach;
The central city has good bus service
The shop has a central location

Center

The middle portion of something; the part well away from the edges.

Center

(obsolete) The innermost point of the Earth, or the Earth itself, as the center or foundation of the Universe; the center or foundation of the Universe abstractly.

Center

(geometry) The point on a line that is midway between the ends.

Center

(geometry) The point in the interior of any figure of any number of dimensions that has as its coordinates the arithmetic mean of the coordinates of all points on the perimeter of the figure (or of all points in the interior for a center of volume).

Center

The subgroup (respectively, subring), denoted Z(G), of those elements of a given group (respectively, ring) G that commute with every element of G.

Center

A place, especially a building or complex, set aside for some specified function or activity.
Shopping center, convention center, civic center, garment center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Rockefeller Center

Center

(politics) The ensemble of moderate or centrist political parties.

Center

The venue in which the head of government in a centralized state is situated.

Center

A topic that is particularly important in a given context, the element in a subject of cognition, volition or discussion that is perceived as decisive.
The center of the controversy
The center of attention

Center

(sports) A player in the middle of a playing area.

Center

(basketball) The player, generally the tallest, who plays closest to the basket.

Center

(ice hockey) The forward that generally plays between the left wing and right wing and usually takes the faceoffs.

Center

The person who holds the ball at the beginning of each play.

Center

(netball) A player who can go all over the court, except the shooting circles.

Center

(soccer) A pass played into the centre of the pitch.

Center

(rugby) One of the backs operating in a central area of the pitch, either the inside centre or outside centre.

Center

A certain mechanical implement functioning in the middle of a whole apparatus

Center

(architecture) A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.

Center

(engineering) One of the two conical steel pins in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.

Center

(engineering) A conical recess or indentation in the end of a shaft or other work, to receive the point of a center, on which the work can turn, as in a lathe.

Center

The ring in the gambling game two-up in which the spinner operates.

Center

Of, at, or related to a center.

Center

(transitive) To cause (an object) to occupy the center of an area.
He centered the heading of the document.

Center

(transitive) To cause (some attribute, such as a mood or voltage) to be adjusted to a value which is midway between the extremes.

Center

(transitive) To give (something) a central basis.

Center

(intransitive) To concentrate on (something), to pay close attention to (something).
The plot centers on the life of a working-class family.
The discussion centered around the recent issues.

Center

(engineering) To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.

Center

A point equally distant from the extremities of a line, figure, or body, or from all parts of the circumference of a circle; the middle point or place.

Center

The middle or central portion of anything.

Center

A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attaction.

Center

The earth.

Center

Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who support the existing government. They sit in the middle of the legislative chamber, opposite the presiding officer, between the conservatives or monarchists, who sit on the right of the speaker, and the radicals or advanced republicans who occupy the seats on his left, See Right, and Left.

Center

A temporary structure upon which the materials of a vault or arch are supported in position until the work becomes self-supporting.

Center

One of the two conical steel pins, in a lathe, etc., upon which the work is held, and about which it revolves.

Center

To be placed in a center; to be central.

Center

To be collected to a point; to be concentrated; to rest on, or gather about, as a center.
Where there is no visible truth wherein to center, error is as wide as men's fancies.
Our hopes must center in ourselves alone.

Center

To place or fix in the center or on a central point.

Center

To collect to a point; to concentrate.
Thy joys are centered all in me alone.

Center

To form a recess or indentation for the reception of a center.

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

The middle of a military or naval formation;
They had to reinforce the center

Center

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

Center

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

Center

A place where some particular activity is concentrated;
They received messages from several centers

Center

Politically moderate persons; centrists

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

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

Center

A position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the center jump to start the game

Center

Center upon;
Her entire attention centered on her children
Our day revolved around our work

Center

Direct one's attention on something;
Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies

Center

Move into the center;
That vase in the picture is not centered

Center

Equally distant from the extremes

Center

Of or belonging to the political or intellectual right

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