hub

[ huhb ]

/ hʌb /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of hub

First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps variant of hob¹

SYNONYMS FOR hub

3. core, pivot, heart.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hub ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
"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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The split portion of the hub is made to grip the shaft by means of a heavy clamp ring and set screw.
Illustrated Catalogue of Cotton Machinery|Howard & Bullough American Machine Company, Ltd.
Old Hinch was clambering into the wagon and had his best foot on the hub of a wheel.
Dominie Dean|Ellis Parker Butler
The wheels have a very large number of thin spokes, and the hub is always ornamental.
Burma|R.Talbot Kelly
Subject of the studies were the Hub's principal games of chance.
Legacy|James H Schmitz
The spokes are loose in the hub, and worked about so that when the wagon slides they dish inward, etc.
William Clayton's Journal|William Clayton

British Dictionary definitions for hub

hub

/ (hʌb) /

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

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]

hub

noun

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

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Origin of hub

Examples from the Web for hub

hub

noun

Word Origin for hub

hub