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
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 21 May 2026
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2025, the Lone Star tick’s geographic spread extended all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Florida through central Texas in the south, up to the lower reaches of South Dakota and back across to Maine.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 21 May 2026
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The debate reflects how sharply the politics of affordability have shifted as the extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping corridor central to the world’s oil supply, disrupts global markets.
—Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for central
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The transport links should be a strength given Villa Park’s central location in the middle of England by the busiest motorway intersection in the country — Spaghetti Junction.
—Andy Mitten, New York Times, 21 May 2026
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2025, the Lone Star tick’s geographic spread extended all along the Eastern Seaboard, from Florida through central Texas in the south, up to the lower reaches of South Dakota and back across to Maine.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 21 May 2026
Noun
Those titles are a bit different from the romance central to Kennedy's Off-Campus books, which follow the relationships between various hockey players at Briar University.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The debate reflects how sharply the politics of affordability have shifted as the extended closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping corridor central to the world’s oil supply, disrupts global markets.
—Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 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 21 May. 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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