civic center

American  

noun

1. a building complex housing a theater or theaters for the performing arts and sometimes exhibition halls, a museum, etc., and usually constructed or maintained by municipal funds.

2. a building or building complex containing a municipality's administrative offices, various departmental headquarters, courts, etc., and sometimes an auditorium, libraries, or other community or cultural facilities.

3. a theater, meeting hall, or the like for community or public use.

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Etymology

Origin of civic center

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

When the olive green charter bus pulled into the suburban civic center in a conservative area east of Cincinnati just after 9 p.m. on Friday, the women were ready.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2025

Stout met Kirk for the first time in 2014 when he was speaking to a group of young Texas conservatives huddled in a small room of a civic center in Harris County.

From Slate • Sep. 23, 2025

The news comes as Mayor Karen Bass’ 8 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew for the civic center area approaches its third night and arts organizations, restaurants and other businesses across the area report a drop in patrons.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2025

After a couple of minutes, it lifted off heading for an immense plume of smoke billowing above the civic center.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

Actually, he flew exactly like the star of a touring production of Peter Pan that Kyle had seen at the civic center.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein