centre

[ sen-ter ]

/ ˈsɛn tər /

noun, verb, cen·tred, cen·tring.Chiefly British.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for centre

These centres of academic excellence, it appears, are also breeding grounds for eating disorders.
Are Britain’s Private Schools Breeding Grounds For Anorexia?|Emma Woolf|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The atlas ossifies from three centres, one forming the mid-ventral portion, the others the two halves of the remainder.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Leave the centres of civilization and wander in the small towns and villages of our country.
Worldly Ways and Byways|Eliot Gregory
For this reason the centres, large or small, where the schools are established spontaneously, are particularly precious.
Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral Tales|Leo Tolstoy

Cut out the centres lengthwise; then chop cooked chicken to a fine mince; add the yolk of a raw egg and mix with cream.
365 Foreign Dishes|Unknown
It contained a number of flourishing towns, which were centres of a considerable commerce.
History of Rome from the Earliest times down to 476 AD|Robert F. Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for centre (1 of 2)

centre

US center

/ (ˈsɛntə) /

noun

geometry

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

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

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

a place at which some specified activity is concentrateda shopping centre

a person or thing that is a focus of interest

a place of activity or influencea centre of power

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

(usually capital) politics

a political party or group favouring moderation, esp the moderate members of a legislative assembly
(as modifier)a Centre-Left alliance

physiol any part of the central nervous system that regulates a specific functionrespiratory centre

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

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

sport

a player who plays in the middle of the forward line
the act or an instance of passing the ball from a wing to the middle of the field, court, etc

basketball

the position of a player who jumps for the ball at the start of play
the player in this position

archery

the ring around the bull's eye
a shot that hits this ring

verb

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

(tr) to focus or bring togetherto centre one's thoughts

(intr often foll by on) to have as a main point of view or themethe novel centred on crime

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

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

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

Word Origin for centre

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

British Dictionary definitions for centre (2 of 2)

Centre

noun

the Centre (ˈsɛntə) the sparsely inhabited central region of Australia

(French sɑ̃trə) a region of central France: generally low-lying; drained chiefly by the Rivers Loire, Loir, and Cher

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

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centre

noun, verb, cen·tred, cen·tring.Chiefly British.

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

Example sentences from the Web for centre

British Dictionary definitions for centre (1 of 2)

US center

noun

verb

Word Origin for centre

British Dictionary definitions for centre (2 of 2)

noun