1
: containing or constituting a center
3
a
: situated at, in, or near the center
the central part of the state
b
: easily accessible from outlying districts
a central location for the new theater
4
a
: centrally placed and superseding separate scattered units
central heating
b
: controlling or directing local or branch activities
the central committee
5
: holding to a middle between extremes : moderate
6
: of, relating to, or comprising the brain and spinal cord
also
: originating within the central nervous system
central deafness
1
: a telephone exchange or operator
2
: a central office or bureau usually controlling others
weather central
3
: a center or hub for a specified activity or group
her house is party central
the family room becomes kid central
Examples of central in a Sentence
Adjective
The house has four rooms and a central chimney.
City planners are looking for a central location for the new hospital.
The evidence was central to the defense's case.
The country's schools are financed by both local and central governments.
The central authority of the company's board is being challenged.
Noun
Our family room becomes kid central on weekends.
a health club that has become dating central for singles in the area
Recent Examples on the Web
James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The central allegation in the Dallas County case is that Morris and Gateway Church benefitted financially from concealing the abuse of Clemishire, and that the church deliberately issued false statements about the circumstances after Clemishire came forward with the allegations.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Attacks in Plateau State are part of a long-running cycle of violence in north-central Nigeria, where disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for central
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Forecasters say hummingbirds will continue moving north as temperatures rise, becoming more common across central and eastern states by May.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The central allegation in the Dallas County case is that Morris and Gateway Church benefitted financially from concealing the abuse of Clemishire, and that the church deliberately issued false statements about the circumstances after Clemishire came forward with the allegations.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
The collision underscores the growing battle in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean over the future of Antarctic krill, a shrimplike crustacean central to the diet of whales and critical buffer to global warming that's also in demand for use in health supplements, fishmeal and other products.
—CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Attacks in Plateau State are part of a long-running cycle of violence in north-central Nigeria, where disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for central
Cite this Entry
“Central.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
central
adjective
cen·tral
ˈsen-trəl 
1
: of or concerning the centrum of a vertebra
2
a
: of, relating to, or comprising the brain and spinal cord
b
: originating within the central nervous system : caused by factors originating in the central nervous system
central precocious puberty
3
: affecting or involving the trunk of the body and especially the abdomen
central adiposity
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