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
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Vardy emerged as the central character in the fairytale that followed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2011
The difference between a place in the third and second tiers is worth in the region of £8m, once both the EFL central and Premier League solidarity payments are taken into account.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for central
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Adjective
The forthcoming rain was good news for crews battling a wildfire in central New Jersey that erupted on April 22 and has consumed 12,250 acres.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
Vardy emerged as the central character in the fairytale that followed.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
The immediate onset of conflict over Kashmir in 1947-48 with a militarily and politically stronger India made the military central to the state's survival and placed it above civilian scrutiny.
—Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2011
The difference between a place in the third and second tiers is worth in the region of £8m, once both the EFL central and Premier League solidarity payments are taken into account.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for central
Cite this Entry
“Central.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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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