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Definition of core noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

core

noun
 
/kɔː(r)/
 
/kɔːr/
Idioms
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  1. the most important or central part of something
    • This report goes to the core of the argument.
    • Dutch paintings form the core of the collection.
    • at the core of something Concern for the environment is at the core of our policies.
    • Our need for love lies at the very core of our being.
    • She claimed the original six countries of the EU constituted an inner core within the larger union.
    • None of the characters really gives the film an emotional core.
    see also Common Core
    Extra Examples
    • A new spirit welled up from the very core of the nation.
    • At the core of our convictions is belief in individual liberty.
    • There was a hollow core of sadness inside me.
    • These ideas formed the core of his philosophy.
    • This is seen as the central core of the government's policy.
    • We want to get to the core of the problem.
    • a common core of shared understanding about law and government
    • the emotional core of her music
    • This was a man he detested from the core of his heart.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • hollow
    • dense
    • solid
    verb + core
    • form
    • make up
    • surround
    preposition
    • at something’s core
    • to the core
    phrases
    • the earth’s core
    See full entry
  2. the central part of an object
    • the earth’s core
    • the core of a nuclear reactor
    • The standards of housing and education are often lower in the older urban cores (= the centres of towns or cities).
    Extra Examples
    • heat from the earth's core
    • Each fibre has a hollow core trapping still air and aiding warmth.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • hollow
    • dense
    • solid
    verb + core
    • form
    • make up
    • surround
    preposition
    • at something’s core
    • to the core
    phrases
    • the earth’s core
    See full entry
  3. the hard central part of a fruit such as an apple, that contains the seeds
    • an apple core
  4. the muscles of the lower back and stomach area which help you to maintain good balance, etc.
    • Your posture will improve as your core becomes stronger.
  5. a small group of people who take part in a particular activity
    • He gathered a small core of advisers around him.
  6. see also hard core, soft-core
    Word OriginMiddle English: of unknown origin.
Idioms
to the core
  1. so that the whole of a thing or a person is affected
    • She was shaken to the core by the news.
    • He's a politician to the core (= in all his attitudes and actions).
See core in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee core in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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