The noun center has 18 senses (first 12 from tagged texts)
1. (56) center, centre, middle, heart, eye -- (an area that is approximately central within some larger region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm")
2. (10) center field, centerfield, center -- (the piece of ground in the outfield directly ahead of the catcher; "he hit the ball to deep center")
3. (6) center, centre -- (a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were raising money to build a new center for research")
4. (5) center, centre, midpoint -- (a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure)
5. (3) kernel, substance, core, center, essence, gist, heart, heart and soul, inwardness, marrow, meat, nub, pith, sum, nitty-gritty -- (the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; "the gist of the prosecutor's argument"; "the heart and soul of the Republican Party"; "the nub of the story")
6. (3) center, center of attention -- (the object upon which interest and attention focuses; "his stories made him the center of the party")
7. (3) center, centre, nerve center, nerve centre -- (a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process; "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere")
8. (2) center -- (the middle of a military or naval formation; "they had to reinforce the center")
9. (1) center -- ((basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team)
10. (1) center, snapper -- ((football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback; "the center fumbled the handoff")
11. (1) center, centre -- (a place where some particular activity is concentrated; "they received messages from several centers")
12. (1) center -- (politically moderate persons; centrists)
13. center -- ((ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team)
14. center, centre -- (the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering)
15. plaza, mall, center, shopping mall, shopping center, shopping centre -- (mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace; "a good plaza should have a movie house"; "they spent their weekends at the local malls")
16. center -- (the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game)
17. center -- (the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play; "it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback")
18. center -- (a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game)
Overview of verb center
The verb center has 3 senses (first 2 from tagged texts)
1. (12) focus on, center on, revolve around, revolve about, concentrate on, center -- (center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work")
2. (4) concentrate, focus, center, centre, pore, rivet -- (direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies")
3. center, centre -- (move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not centered")
Overview of adj center
The adj center has 2 senses (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (2) center, halfway, middle, midway -- (equally distant from the extremes)
2. center -- (of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually)