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noun ADJ. hollow Each fibre has a hollow core trapping still air and aiding warmth. (figurative) There was a hollow core of sadness inside me. | solid | copper, iron, etc. | reactor nuclear reactor cores | central, essential, inner, innermost, very This is seen as the central core of the government's policy. A new spirit welled up from the very core of the nation. | common a common core of shared understanding about law and government | hard A hard core of supporters, mostly teenage girls, gathered at the airport to see the star arrive. | emotional the emotional core of her music VERB + CORE form, make up These ideas formed the core of his philosophy. | get to We want to get to the core of the problem. CORE + NOUN activity, area, course, curriculum, discipline, module, programme, skill, subject the core area of management studies Students study five core subjects. | component, element, group | business, service We need to stop this expansion and concentrate on the core business. | belief, value | vocabulary PREP. at sth's ~ At the core of our convictions is belief in individual liberty. | to the ~ She was shaken to the core by the news. He's a politician to the core (= in all his attitudes, beliefs and actions).
Oxford Collocations Dictionary