hub

American  

[huhb] / hʌb /

noun

1. the central part of a wheel, as that part into which the spokes are inserted.

2. the central part or axle end from which blades or spokelike parts radiate on various devices, as on a fan or propeller.

3. a center around which other things revolve or from which they radiate; a focus of activity, authority, commerce, transportation, etc..

   Chicago is a railroad hub.

   Synonyms:

   heart, pivot, core

4. the Hub, Boston, Massachusetts (used as a nickname).

5. the peg or hob used as a target in quoits and similar games.

6. any one of the holes in an electrical panel, into which connections may be plugged.

7. Computers. a device connecting others in a network and enabling communication among them by receiving data packets from any of the devices and broadcasting them to every device on the network irrespective of the intended destination: used primarily in small local area networks.

8. Coining. a design of hardened steel in relief, used as a punch in making a die.

9. Surveying. a stake bearing a tack used to mark a theodolite position.

10. Metalworking. a die forced into a metal blank.

---

verb (used with object)

hubbed, hubbing

1. Metalworking. to stamp (a metal blank) with a hub.

hub British  

/ hʌb /

noun

1. the central portion of a wheel, propeller, fan, etc, through which the axle passes

2. the focal point

3. computing a device for connecting computers in a network

---

Etymology

Origin of hub

First recorded in 1505–15; perhaps variant of hob ¹

Explanation

A hub is the center of a wheel or the center of some kind of activity. If all of an airline's flights go through Atlanta, you'd say the southern city is their hub. You know how a lot of activity is called a hubbub? That makes sense when you consider that a hub, in a wheel or otherwise, is the center of whatever's going on. Southern California has long been a hub of the computer industry, and Detroit used to be the hub of the auto industry. Busy airports like the ones in Chicago and Atlanta are called hubs. Any hub is important, because it's right in the middle of all the action.

Example Sentences

The once-popular institution dates back to 1935, when it was a Depression-era cafeteria and kitschy oasis that sold as many as 15,000 meals a day when Broadway was the city’s entertainment hub.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

As a teenager, Sen made his debut on Park Street - the city's swinging cultural hub - performing at the San Souci Theatre.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Satellite imagery showed three tankers capable of carrying five million barrels of oil loading on Kharg Island, Iran’s oil export hub, according to TankerTrackers.com, a research firm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies established its European hub outside Budapest.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

The city's cable-switching stations acted like the hub of a giant wheel, whose spokes spread out across the entire continent.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• nerve center