Jump to:

• centre
  centre

  noun

  center.
• Centre
  Centre

  noun

  the sparsely inhabited central region of Australia

centre

American  

[sen-ter] / ˈsɛn tər /

noun

Chiefly British.

centred, centring

1. center.

---

centre ¹ British  

/ ˈsɛntə /

noun

1. geometry

   1. the midpoint of any line or figure, esp the point within a circle or sphere that is equidistant from any point on the circumference or surface

   2. the point within a body through which a specified force may be considered to act, such as the centre of gravity

2. the point, axis, or pivot about which a body rotates

3. a point, area, or part that is approximately in the middle of a larger area or volume

4. a place at which some specified activity is concentrated

   a shopping centre

5. a person or thing that is a focus of interest

6. a place of activity or influence

   a centre of power

7. a person, group, policy, or thing in the middle

8. (usually capital) politics

   1. a political party or group favouring moderation, esp the moderate members of a legislative assembly

   2. ( as modifier )

      a Centre-Left alliance

9. physiol any part of the central nervous system that regulates a specific function

   respiratory centre

10. a bar with a conical point upon which a workpiece or part may be turned or ground

11. a punch mark or small conical hole in a part to be drilled, which enables the point of the drill to be located accurately

12. sport

    1. a player who plays in the middle of the forward line

    2. the act or an instance of passing the ball from a wing to the middle of the field, court, etc

13. basketball

    1. the position of a player who jumps for the ball at the start of play

    2. the player in this position

14. archery

    1. the ring around the bull's eye

    2. a shot that hits this ring

---

verb

1. to move towards, mark, put, or be at a centre

2. (tr) to focus or bring together

   to centre one's thoughts

3. to have as a main point of view or theme

   the novel centred on crime

4. (tr) to adjust or locate (a workpiece or part) using a centre

5. (intr; foll by on or round) to have as a centre

6. (tr) sport to pass (the ball) into the middle of the field or court

Centre ² British  

noun

1. the sparsely inhabited central region of Australia

2. a region of central France: generally low-lying; drained chiefly by the Rivers Loire, Loir, and Cher

---

Etymology

Origin of centre

C14: from Latin centrum the stationary point of a compass, from Greek kentron needle, from kentein to prick

Example Sentences

The response so far includes the health ministries of several countries, including South Africa, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Spain, along with the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

"The BJP has been a major force in Bengal for three successive elections, consistently polling around 39% of the popular vote," says Rahul Verma, who is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Virginie Sauvage, the head of France's National Reference Centre for Hantaviruses, told AFP in an interview that identifying the specific strain will provide crucial insight into what happened on the ship.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

"I see Alzheimer's patients in my clinic every week and I wish I had an effective treatment to offer them," says senior author Edo Richard, Professor of Neurology at Radboud University Medical Centre.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

"Why, of course—Sir, do you know the way to Centre Street?"

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison