Meanings
centre1
plural centres · alternative US center
- Australia, UK, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa standard spelling of center.
So after a short spell in the brass foundry the wisest course was to follow with a similar period in the steel foundry, where much important work was done, including the manufacture of centres for wheels.
1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 3432 more examples
The phrase 'Imperial Manila' is used throughout the archipelago to denote the capital-heavy decision-making and the imposition of the will and culture of the political and economic centre on the peripheries.
2018, Balázs Áron Kovács, Peace Infrastructures and State-Building at the Margins, Springer, →ISBN, page 280As Dodd wrote in ‘The Empty Nest,’ “To me, it was glaringly obvious that parting from a child who has been the centre of your life for twenty-odd years is a really big deal. Yet while new parents are bombarded with advice, empty nest parents are left to muddle through what is arguably the most challenging phase of parenting.”
2025 August 10, Don Riddell, “Now that my kids are off to college, what’s this empty nester dad to do?”, in CNN
present singular third person centres · participle present centring · participle present rare centreing · participle past centred · past centred · alternative US center
- CanadaIrelandNew ZealandSouth AfricaUKalternativeAustralian spellingAlternative spelling of center.
One controversy which has not had an airing in discussion of the new Transport Bill is that centring on the status of the Pullman Car Co.
1962 February 28, “Talking of Trains: The "Midland Pullman"”, in Modern Railways, page 771 more example
A contribution to a wall newspaper of which I was an editor in our sector poked fun at the never-changing menu in the school cafeteria. It centred on the various and devious methods used in serving us hamburger. One time it would be called hamburger, another time bifshtek, then cutlet, and sneakiest of all, schnitzel—the only difference among them was usually only in their shape or whether bread crumbs had been used.
1988, Peter Hunter, “Back to School: Dealing with Dissent”, in Which Side Are You On, Boys: Canadian Life on the Left, Toronto, Ont.: Lugus Productions Ltd., →ISBN, page 96
Centre2
- A former administrative region of France, now named Centre-Val de Loire.
- A city, the county seat of Cherokee County, Alabama.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveof or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
nounan area that is approximately central within some larger region
nouna point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
nounthe sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
nounthe choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
nounthe object upon which interest and attention focuses
nouna cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process
nouna position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
noun(American football) the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play
nounthe position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekκέντρον
- Latincentrum
- Middle Frenchcentre
- Middle Englishcenter
- Englishcentre
From Middle English center, centre, from Middle French centre, from Latin centrum, from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron), from κεντεῖν (kenteîn, “to prick, goad”). Doublet of centrum.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 中央
- 中央 (Zhōngyāng)administrative region of France
French Centre, région Centre
- Centreadministrative region of France
- région Centreadministrative region of France
German Centre
- Centreadministrative region of France
Italian Centro, regione Centro
- Centroadministrative region of France
- regione Centroadministrative region of France
Japanese サントル地域圏
- サントル地域圏 (Santoru chiiki-ken)administrative region of France
Māori topapū
- topapūposition in Rugby football in the back line
Portuguese Centro
- Centroadministrative region of France
Russian Центр
- Центр (Centr)administrative region of France
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with centre
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
centre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/centre
“centre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/centre. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “centre,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/centre.
Source: centre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.