nerve center

noun

Definition of nerve centernext
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest Wall Street's undisputed status as the nerve center for the world of high finance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nerve center Across the room, the electricity is sent through a rectifier, the nerve center for the substation. — New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026 The targets were not rocket launchers or weapons depots, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but the nerve centers of the organization — command rooms, intelligence headquarters and offices where Hezbollah commanders planned the next stage of the fight. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026 This central area—a combined lounge, restaurant and a bar—is the property’s nerve center. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026 By the time Kennedy launched his presidential campaign in 1960, Hyannis Port had become the informal nerve center of the family’s political operation. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nerve center
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve center
  1. center
  2. capital
  3. hub
  4. mecca
  5. nucleus
  6. focus
  7. ground zero
  8. core
Noun
  • Both men sat in opposite corners afterward before Reigns walked to the center and offered a fist, and Rollins met it.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Ebola treatment centers have been attacked by residents fueled by misinformation or anger over strict outbreak measures.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of center
Noun
  • Those seriously hurt were transported 43 miles away to the capital of North Shewa Administrative Zone, Debre Birhan.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The sticky wicket, which has been the stickiest for AI-tech megacaps, is investor angst around capital expenditures and a sluggish pace of return that could send the stock on a nosedive.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of capital
Noun
  • The region’s data centers are important not only to the US military and AI industries but also to the Gulf region, which fancied itself a third global AI hub, along with the United States and China.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Whatever solutions are proposed, Scotland has to become a hub for homegrown talent.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of hub
Noun
  • The popular theatre was a cultural mecca that drew thousands to its operas, ballets and other public events, and hosted legendary greats including Maria Callas and Franco Zeffirelli.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The long-standing problem is that Skid Row is both a social service center and a mecca of drugs and other vices, with traps on every block.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of mecca
Noun
  • The resulting collisions formed excited compound nuclei that decayed through multiple gamma-ray steps.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The others affectionately call her Head Hen and describe her as the nucleus of the group.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 30 July 2026
Definition of nucleus
Noun
  • This, along with driving safety and customer services initiatives, will be a key focus in the years ahead.
    — Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • A little focus will make your natural sparkle much easier to trust.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of focus
Noun
  • Michigan is ground zero for cyclosporiasis, where more than 10,000 people have eaten something, likely lettuce, contaminated with microscopic pods containing Cyclospora parasites.
    — Pien Huang, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Hawaii was ground zero for the crystal meth epidemic, the first state where the smokable form of the drug really took off.
    — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of ground zero
Noun
  • Instead, having a consistent, longer-term core should help Carrick further develop this United side’s tactical identity, improve the players already at his disposal, and allow cohesion and team spirit to grow naturally.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Chapman, 33, should know Monday the severity of a hernia and a core muscle tear in his right abdomen.
    — Devin Bradshaw, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of core

Browse Nearby Words

nerve
nerve center
nerve centers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nerve center.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve%20center. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pedagogical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All