Words / B1

sentr-uh-l-HEET-ing/ˌsentrəl ˈhiːtɪŋ/

Central heating (id: central-heating) is a system that heats a whole building from one boiler (often uncountable). A portable heater is a single room and often banned; a fire is a flame or an electric bar. Halls: heating runs on the timetable; a personal heater is a fire-risk ban.

Meaning

A system that heats a whole building from one boiler (often uncountable).

Examples

• “Central heating in halls runs on the timetable; a personal heater is a fire-risk ban.”
• “A central-heating breakdown still goes to the landlord’s out-of-hours line, not a tweet to the college.”

Good to know

central heating (often uncountable). Contrast: a portable heater / a fire. Halls / tenancy. Mix-up: heating is the wider idea; central heating is the whole-building system.

New