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
Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The objection was to stay compact in central areas, as well as stifling any passes into Gravenberch, who is crucial to Liverpool’s early build-up.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The nearly 3-minute spot is almost entirely action, as the Sullys, the family central to Cameron's series, engage in battle on Pandora, a planet ruled by different natural laws than Earth.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for central
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Adjective
Rogers noted that the book argues that a central cause of the war was Anglo settlers’ determination to keep slaves in bondage after Mexico largely abolished it.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The objection was to stay compact in central areas, as well as stifling any passes into Gravenberch, who is crucial to Liverpool’s early build-up.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
The company, which employs about 150 people, has a sprawling complex in rural central Tennessee with eight specialized production buildings and a lab.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
The nearly 3-minute spot is almost entirely action, as the Sullys, the family central to Cameron's series, engage in battle on Pandora, a planet ruled by different natural laws than Earth.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 Sep. 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 31 Oct. 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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