centre cen‧tre [ˈsentə ǁ -ər] , center noun [countable]
1. COMMERCE the place where most of the important things connected with a business or activity happen:
• Bahrain has become a major international banking centre.
centre of
• plans to turn the town into a centre of high-tech inward investment
part of a business that is used as a unit to calculate the costs related to operating it:
• The company is splitting itself into four cost centres and four profit centres.
fiˈnancial ˌcentre , financial center FINANCE
1. [countable] a city where there are a lot of financial activities, such as banking and insurance. A financial centre may also have a stockmarket, currency market etc:
• If the UK does not enter the euro, it could harm London's standing as an international financial centre.
• global financial centers such as London, Paris, Tokyo and Frankfurt
2. [countable] a city or country where there are fewer rules, less strict laws, lower taxes etc:
• Dublin is promoting itself as an offshore financial centre.
a large, important bank, or a city where there are many such banks:
• such major money centers as Tokyo, Hong Kong, London and Frankfurt
• the big New York money-center banks
a part of a business that is expected to produce profits, or that is used as a unit in calculating profits in relation to other parts:
• Porsche's research and development facility works for other auto makers, including Ford, and is run as a profit center.
2. a building that is used for a particular activity
asˈsessment ˌcentre , assessment center
HUMAN RESOURCES a way of selecting new employees by giving them a set of tests, interviews, and activities over a period of a day or more, or the place where this is carried out
ˈbusiness adˌvice ˌcentre , ˈbusiness deˌvelopment ˌcenter COMMERCE
a place where specially trained staff are available to give advice on running a small business:
• Local authorities are playing a part in the promotion of co-operatives, in training schemes and business advice centres.
US UK (US center) /ˈsentər/ noun [C]
► »
a conference centre
»
The retailer has a customer service centre in Dundee and distribution centres in Dundee and Livingston.
► centre for sth »
Hong Kong has long been recognized as a centre for the production of jade jewellery.
commercial/financial/industrial centre »
Dubai is acknowledged to be the commercial centre of the Middle East.
► especially
UK town/city centre »
Most commuters travel into the city centre by public transport.
→
See also ASSESSMENT CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
assessment centre),
BUSINESS ADVICE CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
business advice centre),
BUSINESS CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
business centre),
BUYING CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
buying centre),
CALL CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
call centre),
CIVIC CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
civic centre),
CONTACT CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
contact centre),
COST CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
cost centre),
DATA CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
data centre),
DISTRIBUTION CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
distribution centre),
ENTERPRISE CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
enterprise centre),
EXHIBITION CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
exhibition centre),
JOB CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
job centre),
MONEY CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
money centre),
PROFIT CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
profit centre),
SERVICE CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
service centre),
SHOPPING CENTRE(
Cf. ↑
shopping centre)