hub

[huhb]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hub ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the central part of a wheel, as that part into which the spokes are inserted.

the central part or axle end from which blades or spokelike parts radiate on various devices, as on a fan or propeller.

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.

the Hub, Boston, Mass. (used as a nickname).

the peg or hob used as a target in quoits and similar games.

any one of the holes in an electrical panel, into which connections may be plugged.

Coining. a design of hardened steel in relief, used as a punch in making a die.

Surveying. a stake bearing a tack used to mark a theodolite position.

Metalworking. a die forced into a metal blank.

verb (used with object), hubbed, hub·bing.

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

Origin of hub

First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps variant of hob¹

Synonyms for hub

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hub ON THESAURUS.COM

3. core, pivot, heart.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for hub

heart, core, focus, seat, middle, pivot, polestar

Examples from the Web for hub

Contemporary Examples of hub

Their hub is an aggregate of photographs and eyewitness reports taken by hundreds of collectives.
Brazil’s World Cup Is An Expensive, Exploitative Nightmare
Vac Verikaitis
May 30, 2014
The land of active volcanoes, volatile weather, and dramatic landscapes has been a hub of creativity and culture for centuries.
Want to Write a Book? Go to Iceland
Adam LeBor
May 26, 2014
"There was no such thing as a hub back then—the only way to get to Europe or Africa was through New York," she said.
Kim and Kanye to Wed in Florence; Naomi Watts to Wear Gown Sponsored by Prudential Financial at Cannes
The Fashion Beast Team
May 16, 2014
The airport is highly regulated and the number of airlines that can claim a hub there is small.
U.S. Justice Department Files Lawsuit to Block Merger Between American Airlines and US Airways
Miranda Green
August 13, 2013
In Seattle, a garage served as the hub for a bare-bones book-selling site called Amazon.com, which was launched on July 16, 1995.
Everything You Need to Know About Jeff Bezos
Nina Strochlic
August 5, 2013

Historical Examples of hub

It isn't the thing at all; but see here, Judge, examine this hub.
Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880
Various
The hub, of brass, is made according to the stream-line method.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates
The method of cutting the slots in the hub is shown at D, Fig. 37.
Boys' Book of Model Boats
Raymond Francis Yates
Should he have grasped the spokes near the hub, near the rim, or in the middle?
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne
The poor creature's dress had caught in something, and she stood an instant on the hub.
Peak and Prairie
Anna Fuller

British Dictionary definitions for hub

hub

noun

the central portion of a wheel, propeller, fan, etc, through which the axle passes

the focal point

computing a device for connecting computers in a network

Word Origin for hub

C17: probably variant of hob 1

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

Word Origin and History for hub

"solid center of a wheel," 1640s, perhaps from hubbe, originally "lump," the source of hob of a fireplace and hobnail, as in boots. A wheelwright's word, not generally known or used until c.1828; it reached wider currency in connection with bicycles. Meaning "center of interest or activity or importance" first recorded 1858 in writings of Oliver W. Holmes, and originally especially of Boston.

"Boston State-House is the hub of the solar system." [O.W. Holmes, "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table"]

"[E]verybody knows that Boston used to be called the Hub, meaning the hub of the universe. It may still be the hub, because the center of a wheel moves slowly." [J.P. Marquand, "Life," March 24, 1941]