Word
town centre
Definition
compound. The main part of a town where you find most of the shops, banks, and restaurants.
compound. The central commercial and administrative area of a town, particularly in British English.
Examples
“The new library is in the town centre.”
“Let's meet in the town centre after work to do some shopping.”
“The council's controversial plan to pedestrianise the town centre has been met with fierce opposition from local business owners.”
Examples
simple
“The new library is in the town centre.”
contextual
“Let's meet in the town centre after work to do some shopping.”
complex
“The council's controversial plan to pedestrianise the town centre has been met with fierce opposition from local business owners.”
Usage
This is common in British English; the American English equivalent is often 'downtown' or 'city center'.
Teaching tip
This is a compound noun where stress falls on the first word ('TOWN centre'), distinguishing it from an adjective-noun pair.
Pitfall
I'm going to the towncentre.
I'm going to the town centre.
In standard English, this compound noun is written as two separate words.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/town-centre