nerve center

noun

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of nerve center

1 : center 2c

2 : a source of leadership, organization, control, or energy

the financial nerve center of the nation

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Examples of nerve center in a Sentence

the economic nerve center of a nation
Wall Street's undisputed status as the nerve center for the world of high finance.

Recent Examples of nerve center from the Web

Facebook held fast and kept its news feed, which remains the platform's nerve center.

— tracey lien, latimes.com, "Silicon Valley played by a different set of rules. Facebook’s crisis could put an end to that," 23 Mar. 2018
It was considered the nerve center of the department during the chaotic days of 2008 as officials tried to keep a lid on the unfolding mess in global financial markets.

— Bloomberg.com, "Mnuchin Spares Treasury Market Nerve Center Amid Trading Tumult," 27 Feb. 2018
In the six districts where police launched the nerve centers in 2017, murders and shooting incidents decreased by about 25%, Johnson said.

— aamer madhani, USA TODAY, "Chicago ends 2017 with 650 murders, a grim sign of improvement," 1 Jan. 2018
Each one corresponds to a major nerve center in the body and influences our psychological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

— zoe weiner, Marie Claire, "My Boyfriend and I Got Blessed to See If It Would Improve Our Sex Life," 17 Apr. 2017
Smith has potential, as a middle linebacker, to emerge as the nerve center of a defense for a decade.

— albert breer, SI.com, "NFL Mock Draft Vol. 3: Two Draft Day Trades, Four QBs Lead Things Off," 21 Mar. 2018
The nerve center of the war in Yemen is the combat operations room in the basement of a Riyadh military base.

— dion nissenbaum, WSJ, "In a Saudi War Room, Generals Grapple With Ways to Protect Civilians in Yemen," 18 Mar. 2018
In the nerve center of the Trump resistance, some volunteers staff 24-hour hot lines in case immigration agents strike in the middle of the night.

— maria sacchetti, BostonGlobe.com, "California’s war against Trump administration builds," 11 Mar. 2018
Through a gate is the dirt parking lot, and to the right a low-slung prefab structure, the nerve center here, the gun store with the machine shop out back.

— michael paterniti, GQ, "Dragonman, the Man Who Sells “People-Hunting Guns”," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nerve center.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.