The only difference between centre and center is the spelling of the word! One is used in the USA, the other in all the other English-speaking countries. There is no difference in meaning at all.
- Center : used in the USA.
- Centre : used in all other varieties of English (including in Canada).
Meaning of centre / center
Noun
- The point that is equally distant from all sides of something
- The centre of the table.
- The town or city centre is the geographical or commercial centre or core area of a town or city
- He works in the centre so it takes him a long time to get to work because of the rush-hour traffic.
- The point / axis around which other things rotate or revolve
- The sun is at the centre of the solar system.
- A political party that does not have extreme views
- A political party that has neither left-wing or right-wing views.
- The player who plays in the middle of the team / pitch / court in team games.
- The centre in Volleyball is a defensive specialist.
- The filling in a chocolate, cake, biscuit or pie
- The creamy centre of a chicken pie is made using lots of butter and double cream.
- A point, location, area, person or object that is most important for a specific field, activity, interest, situation or condition
- Nashville is at the centre of the country music world.
- The source of an influence, action or force
- The politician is at the centre of the controversy.
- A place or group of buildings that serve a specific purpose, or provide a place for a specific activity
- There are yoga lessons in the sports centre every Saturday morning.
- The newest shopping centre in London is Westfield in White City.
Verb
- To place in the middle
- To centre the text, drag the text box to the middle of the page.
- Centre around / centre (something) on
To take place in or round a specific place / area
- The tourist industry in Portugal is centred mostly around the Algarve.
- The focus or basis of something
- The plot of the film was centred around a family who was trying to build a new life for themselves.
- To gather or come together in a specific location
- The university buildings are centre around the tower.
Centre / Center Collocations
- Dead centre / very centre (meaning in the exact centre)
- I work in the dead centre of the city.
- Centre for
- The University is a centre for scientific research.
Centre / Center Synonyms
(Noun)
- Middle
Less formal way of saying centre (when talking about the central point of an object / physical location), and often less precise than centre. Can also be used to talk about time, to talk about the part between the beginning and the end.
- In the middle of the film / in the middle of the night.
- Midpoint
The point in the middle of something.
- The midpoint of the circle.
- Midst
In the middle of / the middle part or point of something. Usually used when talking about a person being in a crowd or group of people.
- He was in their midst.
- Core
The centre of a sphere
- The core of the earth / of an apple.
- Equidistant (adjective)
Something precisely in the middle of 2 other points (formal)
- The train station is equidistant from the university and the church.
- Halfway point
The point that is in the exact middle of 2 other points
- I’ll meet you at the halfway point between the ice cream shop and the supermarket.
- Heart
At the heart of something: in the middle
- The cathedral is in the heart of the city.
(Verb)
- Centralize
To bring everything under one authority / in a single place
- The company centralised all their computers in one location.
2. Concentrate
To bring everything together
- The teachers concentrated their efforts to find a solution to the problem of the difficult pupil.
3. Unify
To bring people together under one idea / common goal
- Local business owners unified against the new changes the government were bringing in.
4. Unite
To bring people together
- Groups unite to provide healthcare in the city centre.
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