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center

[ sen-ter ]
/ ˈsɛn tər /
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See synonyms for: center / centered / centering / centers on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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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, noun
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

center
/ (ˈsɛntə) /

noun, verb
the US spelling of centre
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.
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