navel

noun

ˈnā-vəl How to pronounce navel (audio)
Definition of navelnext
as in center
a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest a city that likes to regard itself as the nation's navel of art and culture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of navel During a picturesque beach day, the model and reality star was spotted at the popular beachside hangout, Club 55, wearing a deep-plunging leopard-print playsuit with beaded detailing at the navel. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 28 July 2026 Screwworm flies often lay eggs in open wounds or warm, sensitive areas, such as in the nose, ears, genitalia or the navel of newborn animals. — Sarah Tomlinson, The Conversation, 24 July 2026 Her plans are derailed when a mysterious fluid begins flowing from her navel and transforms into a perfect but uncontrollable duplicate of herself. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 July 2026 The Fuchikomas, yes, finally the actual Fuchikomas, are also artificially intelligent, and much of the prior navel gazing surrounding this subject is thankfully absent, in favor of whiplash-inducing high-speed combat. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for navel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for navel
  1. center
  2. capital
  3. hub
  4. mecca
  5. heart
  6. focus
  7. seat
  8. base
Noun
  • These districts can be established within a city, county or cooperative area to create economic development projects like industrial sites, research facilities, job-training centers and distribution hubs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The center will test uncrewed platforms under realistic operational conditions and threats, including degraded or denied communication environments.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of center
Noun
  • His American Dream Act would provide a five-year capital-gains tax exemption for homeowners 65 and older who sell their property to a first-time buyer.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Across industries, women continue to take on roles with greater control over capital, strategy and technology at some of the world’s most consequential businesses.
    — CNBC.com staff, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of capital
Noun
  • These districts can be established within a city, county or cooperative area to create economic development projects like industrial sites, research facilities, job-training centers and distribution hubs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Nearly a quarter of the world’s internet traffic reportedly passes through northern Virginia; London is largely served by two hubs in the Docklands and Slough.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of hub
Noun
  • Named for the massive cliffs that stretch across 32 miles of shoreline, Calvert Cliffs is also a mecca for fossil hunters.
    — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
  • But for lovers of all things sweet and creamy, Cheesecake Funk is today a veritable mecca for those in the know.
    — David Farley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of mecca
Noun
  • Brockman’s message received 40 hearts, five checkmarks, and three thank-you emojis.
    — Garrison Lovely, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Many dietary recommendations overlap with long-standing heart-health advice, such as eating more fruits, vegetables and fish.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of heart
Noun
  • The company’s primary focus, for now, is industrial applications.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Alejandro Camacho, a professor at UCLA’s School of Law with a focus on environmental law, said the type of claims Boulder is bringing against the companies could influence the justices’ ruling on this question.
    — Callie Patteson, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of focus
Noun
  • Democrats’ hopes rise in Texas Democrats are feeling newly optimistic about Texas, even in deep-red seats.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • However, in this case, the two Democratic seats in the minority are currently vacant, and one Republican seat is about to be vacated.
    — Tzachi Zach, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of seat
Noun
  • In its base case, about 11 million workers, roughly 7% of the workforce, would need to leave their occupations entirely, with a range of 6 million to 16 million.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda are on-base machines atop the Tampa order, while 23-year-old Junior Caminero (42 homers, 101 RBI) is already one of baseball’s premier run-producers.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of base

Browse Nearby Words

naval
navel
navel-gazing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Navel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/navel. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on navel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about navel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All