Definition of "core" []

• The hard or fibrous central part of certain fruits, such as the apple or pear, containing the seeds. (noun)
• The central or innermost part: the hard elastic core of a baseball; a rod with a hollow core. (noun)
• The basic or most important part; the essence: a small core of dedicated supporters; the core of the problem. See Synonyms at substance. (noun)
• A set of subjects or courses that make up a required portion of a curriculum. (noun)
• Electricity A soft iron rod in a coil or transformer that provides a path for and intensifies the magnetic field produced by the windings. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By avoiding the term "core inflation," he could confuse the public about how the central bank thinks about inflation and responds to it, said Mr. Meyer of Macroeconomic Advisers."
• "We use the term "core revenue" or "sales from existing businesses" to refer to GAAP revenue excluding (1) sales from acquired businesses recorded prior to the first anniversary of the acquisition ("acquisition sales"), (2) first half 2010 sales attributable to the businesses contributed to the Apex joint venture, and (3) the impact of currency translation."
• "We use the term "core revenue growth" to refer to the measure of comparing current period core revenue with the corresponding period of the prior year."