The central or essential part of something, something basic and important, the act of removing a fruit's center, a CPU processing unit, or the internet suffix -core.
Not every word ending in -core names a real subculture.
She threw the apple core into the compost bin.
Use a small knife to core each tomato.
Reading and writing are core skills in the course.
Core the apples before you slice them for the pie.
Similar words
central
CPU core
heart
crux
center
execution core
aesthetic suffix
seed
essence
hollow out
Meanings
Central or essential part
noun
general
neutral
The middle, innermost, or most important part of something, from a fruit or planet to an idea, group, or problem.
Usage
Use core for the center of a physical thing and for the essential part of an abstract thing.
Examples
The Earth's core is made mostly of iron and nickel.
At the core of the problem was a lack of trust.
She threw the apple core into the compost bin.
The team's loyal fans formed the core of its support.
The novel has grief at its emotional core.
Common mistakes
Core is confused with corps, corpse, and corp, which sound similar but mean very different things.
Incorrect
Correct
The press core waited outside.
The press corps waited outside.
The corpse of the argument is simple.
The core of the argument is simple.
Core of the issue is money.
The core of the issue is money.
Similar words
center
heart
nucleus
middle
essence
crux
Basic and most important
adjective
general
neutral
Used before a noun to describe something central, basic, or most important to a person, group, activity, or system.
Usage
Use core before nouns such as values, business, team, skills, and issues when they are central or essential.
Examples
The company sold several brands to protect its core business.
Respect is one of the school's core values.
The report focuses on three core issues.
They kept a small core team during the crisis.
Reading and writing are core skills in the course.
Common mistakes
Core is often placed after the noun, but in this adjective use it normally comes before the noun.
Incorrect
Correct
The values core are honesty and respect.
The core values are honesty and respect.
They focused on business core.
They focused on the core business.
This is a very core skill than the others.
This is a more important skill than the others.
Similar words
central
basic
essential
fundamental
primary
key
Remove the center from fruit
verb
cooking
neutral
To remove the hard central part or seed area from fruit or vegetables before cooking or eating them.
Usage
Use core as a transitive verb with fruit and vegetables: core an apple, core the pears, or core each tomato.
Examples
Core the apples before you slice them for the pie.
The recipe says to peel and core the pears.
Use a small knife to core each tomato.
She cored the peppers and filled them with rice.
The machine can core dozens of pineapples in a minute.
Common mistakes
Core as a verb needs an object, and the regular forms are cores, cored, and coring.
Incorrect
Correct
Core before baking the apples.
Core the apples before baking them.
She core the pears.
She cores the pears.
He is coreing the tomatoes.
He is coring the tomatoes.
Similar words
seed
pit
hollow out
Processing unit in a CPU
noun
technology
neutral
One processing unit inside a CPU that can run instructions, often counted when describing a processor's capacity.
Usage
Use core for a CPU's processing unit. Use cores after numbers, as in four cores or eight cores.
Examples
This laptop has an eight-core processor.
Each core can handle a separate thread of work.
The game runs better on CPUs with more cores.
A faster core is not always better than several efficient cores.
The operating system assigns tasks to different cores.
Common mistakes
Core is confused with the whole CPU, with clock speed, and with a software thread.
Incorrect
Correct
The computer has four core.
The computer has four cores.
I upgraded my core to 3.5 GHz.
I upgraded my CPU to 3.5 GHz.
Every thread is a physical core.
A thread is not always a physical core.
Similar words
processor core
processing unit
execution core
CPU core
Suffix for an aesthetic or trend
noun
internet
informal
A suffix used in informal internet words to label a visual style, mood, trend, or subculture, as in cottagecore or dreamcore.
Usage
Use -core as a suffix in internet style labels, usually attached to the base word or joined with a hyphen when readability needs it.
Examples
Cottagecore is a popular -core aesthetic.
The suffix -core can turn a style into the name of a trend.
Fans used -core to label a dreamy internet look.
Not every word ending in -core names a real subculture.
The playlist was tagged with several -core labels.
Common mistakes
-core is split off randomly or added to any word even when no recognizable style label exists.
Incorrect
Correct
She likes cottage core.
She likes cottagecore.
The room has core vibes.
The room has a dreamcore vibe.
I bought a core jacket.
I bought a gorpcore jacket.
Similar words
aesthetic suffix
style label
trend label
Usage
Use core as a noun for the center or essence, as an adjective before nouns such as values and business, and as a verb for removing the center of fruit.
Common mistakes
Core is often mixed up with corps, corpse, and corp, and the adjective is sometimes put after the noun instead of before it.
Etymology
From Middle English, of uncertain origin. The verb developed from the noun.
FAQ
What does core mean?
Core usually means the center or most essential part of something.
Is core a noun, adjective, or verb?
Core can be a noun, an adjective before another noun, or a verb meaning to remove the center of fruit.
What are core values?
Core values are the basic beliefs or principles that matter most to a person or organization.
What is a CPU core?
A CPU core is a processing unit inside a processor that can run instructions.
What does -core mean in internet words?
-core is a suffix used in informal style labels such as cottagecore, dreamcore, and normcore.
Comments & contributions
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