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center
[ sen-ter ]
/ ˈsɛn tər /
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noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
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Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about center
on center, from the centerline or midpoint of a structural member, an area of a plan, etc., to that of a similar member, area, etc.: The studs are set 30 inches on center.Abbreviation: o.c.
Also especially British, cen·tre .
Origin of center
First recorded in 1325–75; variant of Middle English centre, from Latin centrum, from Greek kéntron “needle, spur, pivoting point in drawing a circle,” derivative of kenteîn “to sting”
synonym study for center
1. See middle.
usage note for center
28. Although sometimes condemned for alleged illogicality, the phrases center about and center around have appeared in edited writing for more than a century to express the sense of gathering or collecting as if around a center: The objections center around the question of fiscal responsibility.
OTHER WORDS FROM center
cen·ter·a·ble, adjectivecen·ter·less, adjectivesu·per·cen·ter, nounWords nearby center
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use center in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for center
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with center
center
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.