focal point

noun

1

: focus sense 4a

2

: focus sense 1a

Examples of focal point in a Sentence

This port was the focal point of trade two centuries ago.

Recent Examples on the Web

Recapping the debate California's leading gubernatorial candidates took the debate floor where the cost of living and housing became focal points, Daniella Segura reports. —Kristin Scharkey, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

Pair that focal point with a restrained color palette — greens plus one or two accent colors — and the entire space begins to feel intentional rather than incidental. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026

Instead of filling your space with a cluster of small plants, try anchoring it with one statement plant as a focal point. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 Apr. 2026

Once traversed by Genghis Khan, this is a focal point of Scythian-Turkic culture, whose arid slopes somehow sustain nomadic life that demands constant attentiveness to the environment. —Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for focal point

• counterpoint
• disappoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint

Kids Definition

focal point

noun

: focus entry 1 sense 1

Medical Definition

focal point

noun

: focus sense 1a