hub

[huhb]

noun

1. the central part of a wheel, as that part into which the spokes are inserted.

2. the central part or axle end from which blades or spokelike parts radiate on various devices, as on a fan or propeller.

3. a center around which other things revolve or from which they radiate; a focus of activity, authority, commerce, transportation, etc..

   Chicago is a railroad hub.

   Synonyms: heart, pivot, core

4. the Hub, Boston, Massachusetts (used as a nickname).

5. the peg or hob used as a target in quoits and similar games.

6. any one of the holes in an electrical panel, into which connections may be plugged.

7. Computers.,  a device connecting others in a network and enabling communication among them by receiving data packets from any of the devices and broadcasting them to every device on the network irrespective of the intended destination: used primarily in small local area networks.

8. Coining.,  a design of hardened steel in relief, used as a punch in making a die.

9. Surveying.,  a stake bearing a tack used to mark a theodolite position.

10. Metalworking.,  a die forced into a metal blank.

verb (used with object)

hubbed, hubbing 

1. Metalworking.,  to stamp (a metal blank) with a hub.

hub

/ hʌb /

noun

1. the central portion of a wheel, propeller, fan, etc, through which the axle passes

2. the focal point

3. computing a device for connecting computers in a network

Word History and Origins

Origin of hub¹

First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps variant of hob ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hub¹

C17: probably variant of _hob ¹

Example Sentences

DP World’s group chairman and chief executive oversees Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone, a booming trade hub that links markets in Asia with Africa, Europe and the U.S.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Rwandan President Paul Kagame is trying to turn his small East African country—remembered worldwide as the site of the 1994 genocide—into a hub for major international sporting events.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

"We know there's more to do - that's why we're pressing ahead with new surgical hubs, evening and weekend scans, and cutting-edge technology to get millions more patients treated on time," he added.

Read more on BBC

In 2027, it will open new “Tailor Made” hubs in Tokyo and Los Angeles, to help more customers to personalize their cars.

Read more on Barron's

Funding for the other two so-called “hydrogen hubs” was terminated last week, including California’s project, the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems, or ARCHES.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• nerve center