center (
http://definr.com/center)
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:
right,
left]
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:
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:
centerfield]
3: a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were
raising money to build a new center for research" [syn:
centre]
4: a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the
extremities of a figure [syn:
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,
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 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:
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
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:
snapper]
11: a place where some particular activity is concentrated;
"they received messages from several centers" [syn:
centre]
12: politically moderate persons; centrists
13: (ice hockey) the person who plays center
14: mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully
landscaped complex of shops representing leading
merchandisers; 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,
shopping mall,
shopping center]
15: the position on a hockey team of the player who participates
in the face off at the beginning of the game
16: 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"
17: a position on a basketball team of the player who
participates in the center jump to start 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}]
2: focus one's attention on something; "Please focus on your
studies and not on your hobbies" [syn:
concentrate,
focus,
centre,
pore,
rivet]
3: move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not
centered" [syn:
centre]