core

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 the hard central part of a fruit such as an apple, that contains the seeds 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). * (figurative) Concern for the environment is at the core of our policies. 3 the most important part of sth: the core of the argument * core subjects (= subjects that all the students have to do) * the core curriculum * the core activities of the job 4 a small group of people who take part in a particular activity: He gathered a small core of advisers around him. seealsoHARDCORE IDIOMS to the core 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, beliefs and actions). verb [VN] to take out the core of a fruit: You need four cooking apples, cored and sliced.