centre (centres plural & 3rd person present) (centring present participle) (centred past tense & past participle )
in AM, use center
1 n-count A centre is a building where people have meetings, take part in a particular activity, or get help of some kind.
usu with supp, oft in names after n
We went to a party at the leisure centre..., ...the National Exhibition Centre.
2 n-count If an area or town is a centre for an industry or activity, that industry or activity is very important there.
with supp
London is also the major international insurance centre.
3 n-count The centre of something is the middle of it.
usu sing
A large wooden table dominates the centre of the room..., Bake until light golden and crisp around the edges and slightly soft in the centre.
4 n-count The centre of a town or city is the part where there are the most shops and businesses and where a lot of people come from other areas to work or shop.
usu sing
...the city centre.
5 n-count If something or someone is at the centreof a situation, they are the most important thing or person involved.
usu sing, usu N of n
...the man at the centre of the controversy..., At the centre of the inquiry has been concern for the pensioners involved.
6 n-count If someone or something is the centreof attention or interest, people are giving them a lot of attention.
usu sing, N of n
(=focus)
The rest of the cast was used to her being the centre of attention..., The centre of attraction was Pierre Auguste Renoir's oil painting.
7 n-sing In politics, the centre refers to groups and their beliefs, when they are considered to be neither left-wing nor right-wing.
the N, oft N n
The Democrats have become a party of the centre., ...the centre parties.
8 verb If something centres or is centredon a particular thing or person, that thing or person is the main subject of attention.
...a plan which centred on academic achievement and personal motivation... V on/around n
When working with patients, my efforts are centred on helping them to overcome illness. be V-ed on/around n
-centred comb in adj
...a child-centred approach to teaching.
9 verb If an industry or event is centred in a place, or if it centres there, it takes place to the greatest extent there.
The fighting has been centred around the town of Vucovar... be V-ed prep
The disturbances have centred round the two main university areas... V prep
Between 100 and 150 travellers' vehicles were scattered around the county, with the largest gathering centred on Ampfield. V-ed
10 →
community centre →
detention centre →
garden centre →
health centre →
job centre →
left-of-centre →
nerve centre →
reception centre →
remand centre →
right-of-centre →
shopping centre
call centre (call centres plural )
in AM, use call center A call centre is an office where people work answering or making telephone calls for a particular company. n-count
centre-forward (centre-forwards plural )A centre-forward in a team sport such as football or hockey is the player or position in the middle of the front row of attacking players. n-count
centre of gravity (centres of gravity plural )The centre of gravity of an object is a point in it. If this point is above the base of the object, it stays stable, rather than falling over. n-count
centre stage
The spellings centre-stage in British English, and center stage in American English are also used.
If something or someone takes centre stage, they become very important or noticeable. n-uncount also the N
Nuclear proliferation has returned to centre stage in international affairs.
city centre (city centres plural )The city centre is the busiest part of a city, where most of the shops and businesses are.
(mainly BRIT) n-count oft the N
There is high demand for city centre offices.
community centre (community centres plural )
in AM, use community center A community centre is a place that is specially provided for the people, groups, and organizations in a particular area, where they can go in order to meet one another and do things. n-count
detention centre (detention centres plural )
in AM, use detention center A detention centre is a sort of prison, for example a place where people who have entered a country illegally are kept while a decision is made about what to do with them. n-count
garden centre (garden centres plural )A garden centre is a large shop, usually with an outdoor area, where you can buy things for your garden such as plants and gardening tools.
(BRIT) n-count
health centre (health centres plural )
in AM, use health center A health centre is a building in which a group of doctors have offices or surgeries where their patients can visit them. n-count
(=surgery)
job centre (job centres plural ), Jobcentre In Britain, a job centre is a place where people who are looking for work can go to get advice on finding a job, and to look at advertisements placed by people who are looking for new employees. n-count
left-of-centre
in AM, use left of center
Left-of-centre people or political parties support political ideas which are closer to socialism than to capitalism. adj usu ADJ n
leisure centre (leisure centres plural )A leisure centre is a large public building containing different facilities for leisure activities, such as a sports hall, a swimming pool, and rooms for meetings.
(BRIT) n-count oft in names
nerve centre (nerve centres plural )
in AM, use nerve center The nerve centre of an organization is the place from where its activities are controlled and where its leaders meet. n-count usu with poss
My office is the nerve centre of the operation.
off-centre
in AM, use off-center
1 adj If something is off-centre, it is not exactly in the middle of a space or surface.
usu v-link ADJ
If the blocks are placed off-centre, they will fall down.
2 adj If you describe someone or something as off-centre, you mean that they are less conventional than other people or things.
usu v-link ADJ
(=unorthodox)
Davies's writing is far too off-centre to be commercial.
reception centre (reception centres plural )A reception centre is a place where people who have no homes or are being looked after by the government can live until somewhere else is found for them to live.
(mainly BRIT) n-count
remand centre (remand centres plural )In Britain, a remand centre is an institution where people who are accused of a crime are sent until their trial begins or until a decision about their punishment has been made. n-count
right-of-centre
in AM, use right-of-center
You can describe a person or political party as right-of-centre if they have political views which are closer to capitalism and conservatism than to socialism but which are not very extreme. adj usu ADJ n (Antonym: left-of-centre)
...the new right-of-centre government.
shopping centre (shopping centres plural )
in AM, use shopping center A shopping centre is a specially built area containing a lot of different shops. n-count
The new shopping centre was constructed at a cost of 1.1 million.
