at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
of an early stage in the development of a language or literature; "the Early Hebrew alphabetical script is that used mainly from the 11th to the 6th centuries B.C."; "Early Modern English is represented in documents printed from 1476 to 1700"
very young; "at an early age"
expected in the near future; "look for an early end to the negotiations"
before the usual time or the time expected; "she graduated early"; "the house was completed ahead of time"
a punishment in which a student must stay at school after others have gone home; "the detention of tardy pupils"
a state of being confined (usually for a short time); "his detention was politically motivated"; "the prisoner is on hold"; "he is in the custody of police"
a position on a basketball team of the player who participates in the jump that starts the game
the position of the player on the line of scrimmage who puts the ball in play; "it is a center's responsibility to get the football to the quarterback"
the position on a hockey team of the player who participates in the face off at the beginning of the game
a building dedicated to a particular activity; "they were raising money to build a new center for research"
a cluster of nerve cells governing a specific bodily process; "in most people the speech center is in the left hemisphere"
the object upon which interest and attention focuses; "his stories made him the center of the party"
the sweet central portion of a piece of candy that is enclosed in chocolate or some other covering
politically moderate persons; centrists
the middle of a military or naval formation; "they had to reinforce the center"
a place where some particular activity is concentrated; "they received messages from several centers"
a point equidistant from the ends of a line or the extremities of a figure
an area that is approximately central within some larger region; "it is in the center of town"; "they ran forward into the heart of the struggle"; "they were in the eye of the storm"
(football) the person who plays center on the line of scrimmage and snaps the ball to the quarterback; "the center fumbled the handoff"
(basketball) the person who plays center on a basketball team
(ice hockey) the person who plays center on a hockey team
of or belonging to neither the right nor the left politically or intellectually
move into the center; "That vase in the picture is not centered"
articulate (a consonant) with the tongue curled back against the palate; "Indian accents can be characterized by the fact that speakers retroflex their consonants"
in the area or vicinity; "a few spectators standing about"; "hanging around"; "waited around for the next flight"
all around or on all sides; "dirty clothes lying around (or about)"; "let's look about for help"; "There were trees growing all around"; "she looked around her"
in or to a reversed position or direction; "about face"; "suddenly she turned around"
to or among many different places or in no particular direction; "wandering about with no place to go"; "people were rushing about"; "news gets around (or about)"; "traveled around in Asia"; "he needs advice from someone who's been around"; "she sleeps around"
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees"
in rotation or succession; "turn about is fair play"
continue to live; endure or last; "We went without water and food for 3 days"; "These superstitions survive in the backwaters of America"; "The race car driver lived through several very serious accidents"; "how long can a person last without food and water?"
continue in existence after (an adversity, etc.); "He survived the cancer against all odds"
formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure; "He retracted his earlier statements about his religion"; "She abjured her beliefs"
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat; "the disorderly retreat of French troops"
(military) a bugle call signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset
(military) a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position
a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
make a retreat from an earlier commitment or activity; "We'll have to crawfish out from meeting with him"; "He backed out of his earlier promise"; "The aggressive investment company pulled in its horns"
move away, as for privacy; "The Pope retreats to Castelgondolfo every summer"