hub

American  

[huhb] / hʌb /

noun

• hubs
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

hubbed, hubbing

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

hub British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hubs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hub

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

Explanation

A hub is the center of a wheel or the center of some kind of activity. If all of an airline's flights go through Atlanta, you'd say the southern city is their hub. You know how a lot of activity is called a hubbub? That makes sense when you consider that a hub, in a wheel or otherwise, is the center of whatever's going on. Southern California has long been a hub of the computer industry, and Detroit used to be the hub of the auto industry. Busy airports like the ones in Chicago and Atlanta are called hubs. Any hub is important, because it's right in the middle of all the action.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hub hubs hubbed hubbing

The data centre -- Google's biggest "AI hub" outside the United States -- is set to become operational in 2028.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

California Forever is facing resistance from local leaders in its effort to build a suburban utopia with housing, a high-tech manufacturing hub and a shipyard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

On Thursday, Arias said at a City Council meeting that the timing of the arrests was “not a coincidence” because it is harvest season in Fresno, a major agricultural hub.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

Far from a traditional agricultural structure, the barn has been transformed into an entertainment and creative hub, complete with a grand bar, video wall, fireplaces, a game room, gym, and catering kitchen.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

As part of the vanguard of European cyclotron construction, the university soon would rival the Cavendish as the hub of nuclear science in Britain.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

To understand how Ukraine is responding, last month I visited an air-defense center protecting Kyiv, one of several such hubs nationwide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

The nonpartisan organization now reaches roughly 200 young people annually and ahead of the midterms is launching a series of hubs across the state for members to make regional connections.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

He has reached out to Gen Z with various programmes that offer grants and loans to small business and youth-led enterprises, technology hubs and digital work opportunities.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Officials in Kigali said negotiations with the five EU countries were ongoing, lawmakers Anna Strolenberg and Tineke Strik -- who oppose return hubs over human rights and other concerns -- told a virtual press conference.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

This had cobwebs on it, too, strung in and out of the steering-wheel spokes, and over the metal hubs.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

But in the mid-’90s government regulators began to regard Southwest as a positive competitive influence on the hubbed airlines—whenever Southwest managed to enter a new market, fares fell.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017

As more low-cost airlines began competing on the lucrative routes between major cities, it was harder for the hubbed operators to charge the premium they required to recoup their higher operating costs.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017

Consolidation has also made it less essential for the hubbed airlines to worry about smaller markets.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017

That competitive pressure motivated the hubbed carriers to use outsourcing and the market power they acquired from consolidation to continue pushing regional wages down, even while they earned huge profits.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017

In some ways the hubbed airlines have become more like Southwest.

From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017

Revenue fell 1.7% to 455 million francs, which Sunrise said resulted from lower mobile hardware and hubbing sales.

From Reuters ● Aug. 22, 2019

Related Words

• nerve center